A family came to our office not long after their father passed away.
They were kind. Close-knit. Doing their best to honor their dad’s wishes.

And they believed he had everything handled.

After all, he had a will.

He’d even told them — “I’ve got it all taken care of.”

But when they opened the folder, reality hit.

Yes, there was a will.
But that was it.

There was no trust.
No plan to avoid probate.
No list of accounts.
No instructions about who should do what or how things should be managed.

And so began the slow, frustrating process of working through the courts.

They spent over a year:

• ️ Filing probate petitions

• Paying court fees and legal bills

• ⏳ Waiting on judges

• Tracking down accounts, assets, and paperwork

It wasn’t because the father did something wrong.
He genuinely believed a “simple will” was enough.

But here’s the truth: a will doesn’t avoid probate.
It doesn’t make things easier.
It just gives the court instructions — and puts your family in line to follow them.

For this family, that meant months of unnecessary stress during an already painful time.

In the end, we helped them clean it up.
We updated their own plans.
They’ve made sure their kids won’t go through the same thing.

And they’ve said to us more than once:
“We just wish we’d known all this earlier.”

That’s why we share stories like this — not to scare anyone, but to give people the heads-up we all wish we had.

Because the truth is simple:
A good plan doesn’t just feel easy when you sign it.
It actually works when your family needs it most.