Turns Out Estate Planning Isn’t Just for Rich People.

I partnered with Yee Law Group recently to create my estate plan, and one of the biggest things I walked away with wasn’t a binder full of legal documents. It was realizing how little I actually knew about estate planning.

If you had asked me what a living trust was before all of this, I honestly couldn’t have told you. I just knew it was one of those terms rich people seemed to throw around. I assumed it was for people with vacation homes, investment properties, or millions of dollars in the bank. It never crossed my mind that someone like me, a single mom, business owner, and content creator, should probably have one too.

Looking back, I think that’s why so many people put estate planning off. It’s not because they don’t care. It’s because they don’t even know where to start.

Living Trust vs. Estate Plan: What’s the Difference?

One of the first things I learned is that a living trust isn’t some secret financial tool for wealthy people. The way it was explained to me is that it’s basically a way to put your wishes in writing. It says, “If something happens to me, here’s who I trust to step in, and here’s how I want things handled.” That’s obviously the simplified version, but it was enough for me to finally understand why people have them.

I also learned that a trust and an estate plan aren’t the same thing, which… I definitely thought they were. 😂 My estate plan included a living trust, but it also included other legal documents that all work together. Before this, I would’ve used those terms interchangeably.

What the Process Was Actually Like

Everything started with a consultation with Mr. Yee. I came in with plenty of questions, but I left with even more. Not because he couldn’t answer them, but because he asked me things I’d honestly never thought about before.

Who would take care of my kids?

Who would manage my business?

Who would have access to my websites, email, and social media accounts?

Who would make healthcare decisions for me if I couldn’t?

The more we talked, the more I realized how many parts of my life would be affected if something unexpected happened. It wasn’t overwhelming, but it definitely gave me a lot to think about. You can be incredibly specific about your wishes, from who will manage your finances to the sentimental things that matter most to you. For example, who would you want to be responsible for all of your SD cards full of family and professional photos?

One thing I really appreciated is that I wasn’t expected to make every decision that day.

My signing appointment wasn’t for another six or seven weeks, which gave me time to think through everything instead of making decisions on the spot. I could talk to family, make lists, remember accounts I’d forgotten about, and really consider who I wanted in each role.

Some of those decisions were easy.

Others took a little more time.

A few weeks later, Yee Law Group emailed me a draft of my estate plan to review. I read through everything, made a couple of notes, asked a few follow-up questions, and requested a few edits. Nothing was finalized until about a week before my signing appointment, so there was plenty of time to make sure everything reflected what I wanted.

Consultations are FREE!

When it was finally time to sign, I met with the notary, and we went through every document together before I signed anything. I never felt rushed, and I never felt like I was expected to sign something I didn’t understand. If I had a question, we stopped and talked through it.

When everything was finished, they handed me an organized binder with my entire estate plan.

Maybe it’s the Virgo (rising) in me, but there’s something really satisfying about knowing everything is in one place. 😂

One thing that also surprised me is that I have a full year to make amendments or additions without a fee. Life changes, people move, businesses grow, and sometimes you remember something after the fact. Knowing I have that flexibility took a lot of pressure off.

Obligatory “I did the responsible adult thing” photo.

Why This Matters More Than I Realized

Before all of this, I thought estate planning was about deciding who gets your stuff.

I didn’t realize it was really about making life a little easier for the people you love.

It’s choosing who raises your kids. Who can step in and run your business. Who can access your accounts. Who makes medical decisions if you can’t. It’s thinking through the things you hope never happen, so the people you care about aren’t left trying to figure everything out while they’re grieving.

As a content creator, I was especially surprised by how much of my life exists online. My websites, social media accounts, photos, videos, brand partnerships… those are all assets too. Before this process, I never really thought about what would happen to any of it.

If you’re reading this thinking, “I don’t have enough money to need an estate plan,” I get it. That’s exactly what I thought.

But if you have kids, people who depend on you, a business you’ve built, or even just a life you’ve worked hard to create, you probably have more worth protecting than you realize.

I’m really grateful to Yee Law Group for partnering with me on this because it’s something I honestly don’t think I would’ve prioritized on my own. Now that I’ve gone through the process, I can confidently say it’s one of those things I’m glad I did before I had to.

And hopefully, I won’t need it for a very, very long time.

Disclosure: I partnered with Yee Law Group on this project and received my estate planning services as part of a sponsored collaboration. As always, all opinions and reflections are my own.

If your curious about estate planning, I’d definitely recommend checking out Yee Law Group on Instagram. They share a lot of helpful information, and they also do giveaways for gift cards, discounts, and tickets to local events from time to time.