When our son was a toddler, we planned on going out of town for the first time without our child. That was the moment we realized that something could happen to both of us, and we weren’t sure who would raise our son. There was an easy solution; we needed a will or trust. We called attorneys in our area only to be told that they wanted between $300 and $500 to consult with us, and the cost for a trust would be between $5,000 and $10,000. Who could afford that? 

As an attorney, Chad was shocked at the cost and the lack of care that these law firms offered to potential clients. That was when he decided to start looking into doing estate planning himself, just as a way to protect us as well as other family and friends. He never thought that this would be the path that he would take as a career, but in 2022, when my uncle was diagnosed with terminal cancer, Chad stepped in to help his daughter get his California home, vehicles, and assets into order. Chad urgently created estate documents and walked them through probate. That was the moment he realized that this was what he wanted to do. He wanted to help people and prepare them for the inevitable. But, he didn’t just want to do estate planning, he wanted to help regular people, those with young families, retirees, anyone who has felt like estate planning was just for the rich. 

That’s when we created Affordable Estate Planning, based in West Linn, OR. Our goal is to make wills, trusts, and estate planning accessible and affordable for everyone.