Estate planning is the legal process of arranging for the management and distribution of your assets during your lifetime and after death. In Pennsylvania, a complete estate plan typically includes a Last Will and Testament, a revocable living trust, sometimes called a Pennsylvania living trust (when appropriate), a durable power of attorney under 20 Pa.C.S. § 5601, and an advance healthcare directive. Without an estate plan, Pennsylvania's intestacy laws (20 Pa.C.S. § 2101 et seq.) determine who inherits your assets.
What is Estate Planning?
Your estate plan addresses who receives your property, who can make decisions for you, and how to provide for the people who depend on you. We tailor the documents to your family, assets, and goals.
Estate Planning Documents We Prepare
- Last Will and Testament: Directs how your assets will be distributed, names an executor to manage your estate, and designates a guardian for minor children. In Pennsylvania, a valid will must be in writing and signed by the testator (20 Pa.C.S. § 2502). While witnesses are not strictly required for validity, we always recommend at least two witnesses and a self-proving affidavit to prevent challenges in probate.
- Revocable Living Trusts: Allows assets to pass to beneficiaries outside of probate, providing privacy and efficiency. A trust can also provide management of assets if you become incapacitated, avoiding the need for a court-appointed guardian of your estate.
- Durable Power of Attorney: Designates a trusted person to manage your financial affairs if you become incapacitated. Pennsylvania's power of attorney statute (20 Pa.C.S. § 5601) includes specific requirements and optional provisions that should be carefully considered.
- Living Wills & Healthcare Directives: Documents your healthcare preferences and appoints a healthcare agent to make medical decisions on your behalf. Under Pennsylvania's Advance Directive for Health Care Act (20 Pa.C.S. §§ 5401–5416), you can specify the types of treatment you do or do not want to receive.
- Beneficiary Designation Review: Retirement accounts, life insurance policies, and payable-on-death accounts pass by beneficiary designation, not by your will. We review all designations to ensure they align with your overall plan.
Why Estate Planning Matters in Pennsylvania
Without an estate plan, Pennsylvania's intestacy laws determine who inherits your assets, and the result may not reflect your wishes. For example, if you are married with children from a prior relationship, intestacy law allocates a portion of your estate to your children rather than your surviving spouse receiving everything. These default rules can create unintended consequences for blended families, unmarried partners, and anyone with specific wishes about how their property should be distributed.
A proper estate plan helps you avoid unnecessary probate costs, minimize Pennsylvania inheritance tax exposure, protect assets for future generations, and provide for loved ones with special needs or spending concerns. It also ensures that someone you trust is authorized to make financial and medical decisions on your behalf if you become unable to do so.
When Should You Create or Update an Estate Plan?
Major life events are natural triggers for estate planning. You should consider creating or reviewing your plan after marriage or divorce, the birth or adoption of a child, purchasing a home or starting a business, a significant change in assets or financial circumstances, the death or incapacity of a named fiduciary, or a move to or from Pennsylvania. Even without a specific life change, we recommend reviewing your estate plan every three to five years to ensure it still reflects your goals and complies with current law.
What to Expect When You Work With Us
From the first conversation through signing and follow-up, here is what to expect.
Initial Meeting: We Get to Know You
We discuss your family, goals, proposed documents, and fees. You are welcome to include your financial advisor, accountant, or another person whose input would help.
In person at our Murrysville office · Video call · With or without your advisorWe Prepare and Send Your Draft Documents
We prepare the documents discussed at your meeting and send drafts for you to review at your own pace.
Delivered by mail or electronically, your preferenceFollow-Up Call: Questions, Changes, Clarity
We answer your questions, explain the documents, and make revisions before your signing appointment.
Phone or video call at a time that works for youSigning Appointment: Your Plan Becomes Official
We arrange signing, witnesses, and notarization appropriate to your documents, then provide your completed plan.
In person at our Murrysville officeFree Follow-Up Review
We offer a complimentary review in three to five years, or sooner after a significant change in your life or the law. There is no monthly subscription fee for this review. If document changes are needed, we explain the work and quote the fee before you decide.
Complimentary · No need to wait for the 3–5 year mark if something changesPrepare for Your Consultation
Download our free worksheet to gather the information you'll need before your first meeting.
Situations We Handle
Our estate planning practice addresses the full range of family and financial circumstances:
- Young parents establishing guardianship: A couple with minor children needs a will that names a guardian, creates a testamentary trust to manage inherited assets until the children are mature enough to handle them, and coordinates beneficiary designations on life insurance and retirement accounts.
- Blended family with competing interests: A remarried spouse wants to provide for their current spouse during their lifetime while ensuring that assets ultimately pass to children from a prior marriage. We design a plan using QTIP trusts, prenuptial coordination, and carefully structured beneficiary designations to balance both goals.
- Business owner planning succession: An owner of a closely held business needs an estate plan that coordinates with their buy-sell agreement, funds the business transfer, and minimizes the tax impact on the family and the company. We work with the client's financial advisor and accountant to create an integrated plan.
- Special needs family member: When a beneficiary receives government benefits such as SSI or Medicaid, an outright inheritance could disqualify them. We establish a supplemental needs trust (also called a special needs trust) that enhances the beneficiary's quality of life without jeopardizing their benefits.
- Sudden wealth (lottery winnings, legal settlements, or substantial inheritance): A windfall can transform a family's future, but without planning it can disappear just as quickly. We help clients put guardrails in place before the money arrives or immediately after: asset protection trusts, dynasty trust structures, spendthrift provisions, privacy planning, and coordinated advisor teams. The decisions you make in the first thirty days matter enormously. Learn more about our sudden wealth planning practice →
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does estate planning cost?
We discuss fees openly during your consultation, what your matter involves and what it will cost, so you can make an informed decision before any work begins.
Do I need a trust or is a will enough?
For many Pennsylvania families, a well-drafted will combined with proper beneficiary designations and joint ownership arrangements is sufficient. A trust makes sense in specific situations; such as avoiding probate on real property, providing for a beneficiary with special needs, maintaining privacy, or managing distributions for young or financially immature beneficiaries. We never recommend a trust unless it genuinely serves your goals, and we explain the costs and benefits of each option during your consultation.
What happens if I die without an estate plan in Pennsylvania?
Pennsylvania's intestacy laws determine who inherits your assets, and the results may not match your wishes. For example, if you are married and all children are also your spouse's children, your spouse receives the first $30,000 plus half the balance, your children receive the rest. If you have children from a prior relationship, the spousal share is calculated differently. If you are unmarried with no children, your parents inherit everything. The court appoints an administrator (who may not be the person you would have chosen), and the entire process is public. An estate plan gives you control over all of these decisions.
Can I use an AI tool or online service to create my estate plan?
There's something important to understand about services like LegalZoom and Rocket Lawyer: every one of them states in their own terms of service that they are not a law firm and are not providing legal advice. If they're not providing legal representation and they're not giving legal advice, then what exactly are they doing when they prepare your estate planning documents? The answer is that they're selling you a product, and that makes you a customer, not a client. If your power of attorney gets rejected by a bank, if your trust wasn't properly funded, or if your will inadvertently disinherits your spouse, they have no obligation to fix it and no relationship with you beyond the transaction.
Pennsylvania estate planning involves specific statutory requirements, from execution formalities under 20 Pa.C.S. § 2502 to the precise language needed for a durable power of attorney under § 5604. A generic template doesn't account for your family dynamics, your asset structure, your tax exposure, or how Pennsylvania law interacts with your specific goals. When you work with our firm, you have an attorney who knows your family, understands your plan, and is there when questions arise, not a software platform that processed your order and moved on.