The Bowman Firm

Individual: $1000

Married Couple: $1500

A will-based plan provides a clear and practical foundation, ensuring your wishes are documented and your loved ones have guidance if something happens.

Your plan includes:

• Last Will and Testament
• Kids Protection Plan (if applicable)
• Advance Healthcare Directive
• HIPAA Authorization
• Durable Financial Power of Attorney
• Guided signing process and execution support

A Last Will and Testament ensures your assets are distributed to the right people and allows you to formally nominate a guardian for minor children, rather than leaving those decisions to the court.

An Advance Healthcare Directive is a key part of any estate plan. In Virginia, this document combines both a Medical Power of Attorney and a Living Will, allowing you to clearly communicate your medical wishes while also designating someone you trust to make decisions on your behalf if needed.

A HIPAA Authorization allows your designated individuals to access medical information and communicate with healthcare providers when it matters most.

A Durable Financial Power of Attorney allows you to appoint someone you trust to manage your financial and legal affairs if you are unable to do so. This can include everything from paying bills to handling more significant financial decisions, depending on the authority you choose to grant.

Together, these documents create a coordinated plan that gives you control, reduces stress for your loved ones, and provides clarity during difficult or uncertain situations.

It’s important to note that a will does not avoid probate. In Virginia, probate can involve additional time, cost, and administrative steps. For many families, this is manageable—but if avoiding probate is a priority, a trust-based plan may be a better fit.

Our goal is to help you understand your options so you can choose an approach that aligns with your goals, your family, and your comfort level.

Individual: $1,750*

Married Couple: $2,500*

Each plan is thoughtfully designed to reflect your family, your assets, and the way you want things handled—both during your lifetime and beyond.

Your plan may include:

• Revocable Living Trust
• Pour-Over Will
• Kids Protection Plan (if applicable)
• Advance Healthcare Directive
• HIPAA Authorization
• Durable Financial Power of Attorney
• Certificate of Trust
• Deed preparation to transfer your primary residence into your trust
• Written trust funding instructions
• Asset titling guidance
• Beneficiary designation coordination
• Lifetime electronic storage of your completed estate planning documents

A Revocable Living Trust allows your assets to be managed during your lifetime and seamlessly transferred to your chosen beneficiaries after your death—without court involvement—while giving you full control and flexibility to make changes as your circumstances evolve.

A Pour-Over Will ensures that any assets not already titled in your trust at your death are legally transferred into your trust and distributed according to its terms. This is also the document where you formally nominate guardians for minor children, if applicable.

Together, these documents create a coordinated plan designed to support you and your family through life’s transitions—legally, financially, and personally.

*A more complex trust structure may be recommended in certain situations, such as blended families or where additional asset protection or tax planning is desired. For example, plans incorporating marital trust provisions (such as QTIP or similar structures) can provide for a surviving spouse while preserving assets for children or other beneficiaries. These enhanced structures typically involve additional drafting and coordination, with a typical additional investment of $1,000–$2,000 depending on complexity.

*A Business Succession Plan may be added when you own a closely held business, LLC, or partnership interest. This planning helps ensure your business can continue smoothly and be transferred in a controlled, legally sound manner. Typical additional investment: $1,000–$2,000 depending on complexity.

$495

When completed in conjunction with a Comprehensive Estate Plan, Kids Protection Planning is included for families with minor children.

Most parents think naming guardians in a will solves the problem.

It doesn’t.

A will helps determine who raises your children long-term if something happens to you. But it does not answer the immediate question:

Who can pick them up from school today?
Who can authorize medical treatment tonight?
Who can care for them while your family gets organized?

That gap matters.

The Kids Protection Plan is designed to bridge the space between an emergency and long-term guardianship—so your children are protected immediately, not just eventually.

Your plan includes:

• Temporary Guardian Authorization
• Long-Term Guardian Nomination Planning
• Medical Authorization for Minor Children
• Emergency Caregiver Information Sheet
• Family Emergency Roadmap
• School & Daycare Emergency Authority Guidance

A Temporary Guardian Authorization allows the trusted adults you choose to step in immediately if you are unavailable due to illness, accident, travel delay, or emergency—helping avoid unnecessary court involvement or confusion during a crisis.

Guardian Nomination Planning helps ensure the right long-term guardians are clearly identified and coordinated with your overall estate plan, rather than leaving those decisions to a court unfamiliar with your family.

Medical Authorization allows your chosen caregiver to seek treatment, communicate with doctors, and make urgent decisions for your child if immediate care is needed.

School and Daycare Planning helps ensure the right people can pick up your child, communicate with schools and camps, and step in without delay when timing matters most.

Good planning means your children are protected immediately—not after court paperwork, delays, or confusion.

Because peace of mind should start now.

$295 first child

$195 each additional child

When completed in conjunction with a Comprehensive Estate Plan, the first College Protection Plan is included, with additional plans available at $250 per child.

When your child turns 18, you no longer have the legal authority to access their medical information, speak with doctors, or manage financial matters on their behalf—even if they are still financially dependent on you.

This plan ensures you can step in if your young adult becomes ill, injured, or temporarily unable to act for themselves, providing clarity and access when it matters most.

Your plan includes:

• Advance Healthcare Directive
• HIPAA Authorization
• Durable Financial Power of Attorney
• FERPA Authorization

An Advance Healthcare Directive allows your child to designate a trusted person to make medical decisions if they are unable to do so, while also providing guidance regarding their preferences for care.

A HIPAA Authorization permits healthcare providers to share medical information with designated individuals so you can stay informed and involved.

A Durable Financial Power of Attorney allows a trusted person to handle financial matters such as banking, housing, tuition payments, and insurance claims if your child is unable to do so.

A FERPA Authorization allows parents or designated individuals to access academic records and communicate with the college if needed.

Individual: $500
Married: $750

These documents are designed to ensure that someone you trust can step in and make financial and medical decisions on your behalf if you are ever unable to do so—helping avoid court involvement and providing clarity during an already stressful time.

Your plan includes:

• Advance Healthcare Directive
• HIPAA Authorization
• Durable Financial Power of Attorney
• Execution guidance

An Advance Healthcare Directive is a central part of any estate plan. In Virginia, this document combines both a Medical Power of Attorney and a Living Will, allowing you to clearly express your medical preferences while also designating a trusted person to make decisions on your behalf if you are unable to communicate.

A HIPAA Authorization allows your designated individuals to access medical information and communicate with healthcare providers when it matters most.

A Durable Financial Power of Attorney allows you to appoint someone you trust to manage your financial and legal affairs if you are unable to do so. This can include everything from paying bills and managing accounts to handling more significant financial decisions, depending on the authority you choose to grant.

These documents are an essential foundation for incapacity planning. In some situations, a revocable living trust can provide an additional layer of continuity by allowing assets to be managed more seamlessly if you are unable to act. Whether that added structure is appropriate depends on your goals and overall plan, and we’re always happy to talk through what makes the most sense for you.

Review and Recommendations: $500

Already have a will, trust, or estate plan in place?

Many families come to me with documents they signed years ago that no longer reflect their lives today. Sometimes the issue is simple—an outdated trustee, a change in guardians, or a beneficiary update. Other times, the structure itself no longer works for the family, the business, or the goals they’re trying to achieve.

Estate planning should evolve as life does.

Marriage, children, divorce, blended families, business ownership, real estate, aging parents, special needs planning, retirement, and tax law changes can all create the need for updates. Even well-drafted documents can become outdated if they no longer match how your assets are titled or how decisions would actually need to be made.

Sometimes a simple amendment is the right answer.

Sometimes a full restatement is the cleaner and safer solution.

The first step is a full review.

The Review and Recommendation includes a review of your current estate planning documents, identification of outdated or problematic provisions, and a strategy meeting to discuss recommendations for amendments, updates, or a full restatement.

If you choose to move forward with recommended work, that review fee is credited toward your amendment or restatement fee.

My goal is never to create unnecessary legal work. It is to make sure your plan is clear, functional, and will actually work when your family needs it.

Because good planning should feel clear—not confusing.

When a loved one passes, there are often many moving pieces—legal, financial, and practical—that need to be handled.

We assist families in navigating the administration of a trust or estate, helping ensure assets are properly transferred, responsibilities are handled, and the process moves forward as smoothly as possible.

This support is tailored to the specific needs of each family and may include guidance for trustees, coordination with financial institutions and advisors, and assistance with required documentation.

Services are provided on a case-by-case basis depending on the scope of administration.

We’re also happy to work alongside your existing financial and tax advisors to ensure everything stays coordinated.

Investment varies based on structure and complexity

In certain situations, additional planning may be appropriate to address more specific goals such as asset protection, tax efficiency, or multi-generational wealth transfer. These structures are typically layered into a comprehensive estate plan and are customized based on your family dynamics and financial picture.

A Generation-Skipping Trust (GST) is designed to preserve assets for future generations by allowing them to pass to grandchildren or more remote descendants. When structured properly, this type of trust can help minimize estate taxation across multiple generations, allowing more of your assets to remain within the family.

A Spendthrift Trust allows assets to be managed for a beneficiary with an added layer of protection and structure. Rather than distributing assets outright, a trustee oversees distributions based on defined standards, which can help protect against creditors, support long-term financial stability, and ensure the inheritance is used thoughtfully over time.

A Charitable Trust can be used to support causes that are meaningful to you while also incorporating thoughtful tax planning. These structures allow you to create a lasting philanthropic impact while maintaining a level of control over how and when assets are distributed.

An Irrevocable Trust is commonly used when the goal is to remove assets from your estate or provide a higher level of asset protection. While these trusts involve giving up direct control of the assets, they can be a powerful tool for long-term planning when used intentionally and in coordination with your overall plan.

In certain situations involving closely held businesses or high-growth assets, additional planning strategies may be available and can be discussed as part of a more advanced planning engagement.