We kind of had a will.

Well, my husband did, created using the software from a book we checked out of the library. He got it signed and notarized and everything. I technically never got around to it.

I realize that estate planning is a very, very important thing to take care of, especially now that we have a child, but I just never got around to it. As a busy mom, I never made it a priority, and the whole process seemed intimidating. Will software isn’t great about answering questions specific to my situation. And consulting a lawyer made me nervous. Who to call? And how much is it going to cost me?

So I probably (OK, certainly) still wouldn’t have a will if stay-at-home mom/legal eagle attorney Kelly Hall hadn’t contacted me about running a special offer on will services for Richmond Bargains readers (skip to the bottom for more juicy details on that!).

If there’s one thing I’ve learned from blogging, it’s that if I have a problem there are probably a lot of readers in the same boat. So I was excited at her suggestion of walking us through the process of will-writing using a lawyer.

I’d love to tell you writing a will is a fun experience, but I would be lying. However, I can vouch that it is quite painless, particularly if you and your spouse see eye-to-eye on most matters. Kelly came to our home (a big plus, and a free service she offers to all clients). She asked a lot of questions covering basic facts about us. Then we discussed who we would want to serve as guardians and setting up a testamentary trust for our son, which would come into existence only upon our deaths and provide for him financially. She also shared some tips, like what to do with previous wills and how to include less formal wishes attached to our official document. We’re still in the process of finalizing details, but I’m looking forward to being able to cross this task off my mental to-do list.

To find out more about Kelly, visit her website: kellyhalllaw.com. In addition to being a mother working from home, she has accepted the job of legal columnist for Richmond Family Magazine, and her debut article was published in this month’s edition. The title is “Four Facts of Life (and Death)!” and in it she discusses the importance of choosing guardians, having life insurance coverage, establishing trusts, and consulting with a professional attorney. (If you’d like to read her story, you can pick up a copy of Richmond Family Magazine at local businesses including Martin’s, Kroger and Wawa.)

Normally, Kelly’s fee to create a will and basic testamentary trust for a couple is $900. But if you mention Richmond Bargains, she’s offering to provide the service for $600, a $300 discount! Complete list of fees:

Basic will: $150 single/$275 couple (regularly priced at $250/450)
Will with guardianship provision, testamentary trust, and advanced directives: $350 single/$600 couple (regularly priced at $500/$900)

Yup, still a big investment. But I hope fellow parents make it a priority this year. I mean, you probably bought Christmas presents for your kids. You might be saving money in a 529 plan to help them pay for college. Isn’t this at least as important? And now you’re running out of excuses, because you know someone to call and how much she charges.

To get in touch with Kelly for more information, you can use the contact form on her website, email kellyhall.law@gmail.com, or call 804-912-4036.

And I just want to make sure folks know that it is possible to have a “legal” will without a lawyer writing it. If you simply can’t afford to go the full-service will and trust route at this time, please at least make sure you have something expressing your wishes written and signed, and that someone besides your spouse knows where it is kept. There are a number of resources available online or in the library to help you with the considerations and wording.

Disclosure: In addition to offering this great reader discount, Kelly provided her legal expertise to us free-of-charge so that I could give you the lowdown on what to expect.
Disclaimer: I’m not a lawyer, nor do I play one on TV (though I did enroll in college as a pre-law major…) Please do not consider any of this post to be legal advice!