Estate Planning

Why Estate Planning Is Essential for Every Family

Many people assume estate planning is only for the ultra-wealthy. In reality, if you own a home, have a bank account, or have people depending on you, a clear plan is essential.

  • Protects Your Family: Designates legal guardians for minor children and ensures family members are cared for according to your exact wishes.

  • Avoids Probate & Keeps Affairs Private: Saves your heirs months of public court proceedings, legal fees, and administrative headaches.

  • Provides Emergency Protection: Appoints trusted decision-makers to manage your health and finances if you ever become incapacitated.

  • Preserves Your Legacy: Reduces tax burdens and aligns your assets with your core values and charitable giving goals.

  • We partner with Estately, an industry leading platform, to bring comprehensive, attorney-drafted estate planning directly to you. Instead of navigating complicated legal processes alone, we guide you through every step aligning your legal documents directly with your overall financial strategy, retirement goals, and values.

  • Depending on your individual and family needs, our platform helps you create and update:

    • Last Will and Testament: Outlines asset distribution, names executors, and designates guardians for minor children.

    • Revocable Living Trust: Helps protect assets, manage distribution timing, and avoid the time and expense of probate court.

    • Durable Financial Power of Attorney: Designates a trusted person to manage your financial matters if you are unable to do so.

    • Advance Healthcare Directive / Medical Power of Attorney: Specifies your medical preferences and appoints a proxy for health decisions.

  • Estately gives you flexibility depending on the complexity of your estate:

    • Guided Planning: Ideal for straightforward estates, using intuitive digital workflows to draft essential documents under our guidance.

    • Estately + Counsel (Attorney-Led): For complex estates, high net worth needs, or custom trust structures, we collaborate directly with a nationwide network of estate attorneys through Estately to finalize your plan.

  • As a client of New Covenant Financial, you receive lifetime digital access to your estate planning documents:

    1. Visit the Login Page: Go directly to getestately.com and click Log In in the top navigation bar.

    2. Enter Your Credentials: Sign in using the email address and password created during your estate planning onboarding.

    3. Review & Update: Inside your portal, you can view completed documents, review visual summaries of your estate structure, download copies, or initiate updates whenever life changes (e.g., birth of a child, marriage, or acquiring new assets).

    If you ever forget your password or need assistance logging in, click the "Forgot Password?" link on the login page or reach out to our team directly.

  • Creating the documents is only step one! We assist with estate alignment and trust funding:

    • Asset Titling & Beneficiaries: We make sure your bank accounts, investment portfolios, and real estate are properly titled or assigned to your trust or beneficiaries so your plan actually works when needed.

    • Visual Summaries: Estately generates easy-to-read visual maps of your estate so you and your heirs clearly understand how your assets flow.

    • Ongoing Reviews: As tax laws change or major life events happen, we review and update your plan during our regular ongoing strategy check-ins.

  • We believe in transparent, predictable pricing so there are no surprises during your planning process:

    • Estately Digital Experience ($1,500 – $2,000 one-time): Designed for straightforward estates looking for guided digital document creation, lifetime portal access, and financial planning alignment.

    • Estately + Counsel (~$4,000 one-time): Designed for more complex estates or clients who want direct representation, customization, and review by an estate planning attorney through Estately’s legal network.

    Important Implementation Notes:

    • Notarization: Clients are responsible for getting their finalized legal documents notarized locally (we can help guide you to local notary resources).

    • Real Estate Re-Titling: If your estate plan involves transferring real estate into a trust, our team at New Covenant Financial can actively assist you through the deed transfer and re-titling process.

  • Estate Planning & Legal Services Disclaimer

    1. Not a Law Firm

    New Covenant Financial is a registered investment advisory firm and is not a law firm, legal professional, or legal services provider. Neither New Covenant Financial nor any of its financial advisors or representatives are licensed to practice law, provide legal advice, or prepare legal documents on your behalf.

    2. Technology & Platform Partner

    Estate planning software, workflows, and attorney access are powered and delivered through Estately (getestately.com), an independent, third-party technology platform.

    3. No Attorney-Client Relationship

    Using our digital estate planning tools, completing estate worksheets, or reviewing educational estate materials through New Covenant Financial or Estately does not create an attorney-client relationship.

    4. Attorney Representation (Estately + Counsel)

    If you elect to use the Estately + Counsel offering, legal services and document reviews are provided directly and independently by licensed attorneys within Estately’s attorney network, not by New Covenant Financial.

    5. Educational & Planning Purposes

    All digital experiences, visual summaries, and estate templates provided through our firm are intended strictly for financial strategy, educational, and informational purposes to help you organize your financial estate alongside your professional legal advisors.