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Estate Planning
Working with an experienced estate planning attorney makes all the difference.
Sarah Wenzel has guided North Carolina families through the estate planning process since 2003. Every plan we create is tailored to your unique situation - your family, your assets, and your goals.
We work with a limited number of clients each year so we can give each client’s estate plan the time and attention it deserves. Our fee reflects a comprehensive, customized process, not a set of one-size-fits-all documents. We take the time to understand your family, assets, concerns, and goals, then walk with you through the planning, drafting, review, signing, and asset funding/retitling process so you understand your documents and feel confident in the plan we create together.
To get started, contact our office and we'll send you a worksheet.
Our Approach: Trust-Based Planning
Our office focuses exclusively on comprehensive, trust-based estate plans. We do not offer standalone documents — such as a single Power of Attorney or Will prepared in isolation — because we believe sound planning requires looking at the whole picture.
Our clients receive a Living Trust (also called a Revocable Trust) as the foundation of their plan, supported by a set of coordinating documents. This approach avoids the probate process, maintains your privacy, and gives you far more flexibility and control than a Will alone.
What we don't handle:
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Medicaid planning or nursing home qualification strategies
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Standalone documents only (single POA, Will only, etc.)
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Guardianship proceedings
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Special or Supplemental Needs Trusts
Why a Living Trust — Not Just a Will?
A Will directs who receives your assets after you die — but it still has to go through the probate process, which is public, time-consuming, and can be costly. If you own property in more than one state, your Will must go through probate in each of those states separately.
A Living Trust avoids all of that. Here's what it does:
Avoids probate and maintains privacy. Assets held in your trust pass to your beneficiaries without going through court. The process stays private, efficient, and out of the public record.
Allows someone you trust to step in if become incapacitated. Your trust names a successor Trustee to manage your affairs if you're ever unable to do so, without the need for a court-supervised guardianship.
Gives you control over how and when beneficiaries receive assets. A trust lets you decide when beneficiaries receive assets and under what terms. This is especially valuable for minor children, your adults, blended families, or situations where you want to protect assets from a beneficiary's creditors or a future divorce.
Addresses blended family situations. If you have children from a prior relationship, a trust lets you provide for your spouse while ensuring your own children ultimately inherit.
Supports estate tax planning. For married couples with significant assets, a properly structured trust can help preserve more of your estate from federal estate taxation.
One important note: a Revocable Living Trust does not protect your assets from your own creditors.
What's Included in Your Estate Plan
In addition to your Living Trust, we typically prepare a coordinating set of documents:
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Pour-Over Will — A backup Will that directs any assets not transferred to your trust during your lifetime to flow into it at death.
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Financial Power of Attorney — Names someone to handle financial transactions on your behalf during your lifetime, particularly important if you become unable to manage your own finances.
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Health Care Power of Attorney — Names the person who will make medical decisions for you when you cannot, including decisions about treatment, facilities, and end-of-life care.
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Living Will (Declaration of a Desire for a Natural Death) — Documents your wishes regarding artificial life-prolonging measures in end-of-life situations.
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Beneficiary Designation Review — We'll help you coordinate your life insurance, retirement accounts, annuities, and other beneficiary-designated accounts so they work together with your trust.
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Detailed Instructions for Funding Your Trust – Assets need to be retitled to the Trust in order to properly avoid probate. We want your estate plan to work, so we provide you with detailed information to assist you with updating all assets, such as bank and investment accounts, and we prepare or assist with Deeds for real property.
Our Process
Most estate plans involve three to four appointments with Sarah. Here's how the process typically works:
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Contact our office. We'll send you a worksheet to gather information about your situation, family, and goals.
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Complete and return your worksheet. This gives Sarah what she needs to prepare for your Planning Meeting.
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Attend your Planning Meeting. Sarah will review your situation, answer your questions, provide advice, and recommend a plan tailored to you. We charge a flat fee of $500 for the Planning Meeting. You're under no obligation to continue after that appointment.
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Review your draft documents. If you move forward, Sarah will schedule your next appointment to walk through initial drafts of your plan.
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Finalize and execute your documents. We'll see you through to a complete, signed plan.
Please note: Because Sarah works closely with each client throughout the planning process, her calendar usually books two to three months in advance and sometimes longer, depending on the time of year. The sooner you return your worksheet, the sooner we can review your information, make sure we have the information we need to get started, and get your Planning Meeting scheduled.
Frequently Asked Questions:
I recently moved to North Carolina. Do I need to redo my documents?
Yes. Each state has different laws governing wills, trusts, powers of attorney, and health care documents. If you have estate planning documents from another state, we recommend having a North Carolina attorney review them. It's common that updates are needed.
I already have documents another attorney drafted or I drafted myself. Can you review them?
We will review your existing documents as part of your Planning Meeting so we can understand your current plan and identify any concerns. However, our office does not provide standalone document reviews or approvals of documents prepared elsewhere. If you choose to work with us, our goal is to prepare a new, comprehensive estate plan that fits your needs and works under North Carolina law.
I have Power of Attorney for my parent. Can I meet with you to do their estate planning?
Generally, no. A Power of Attorney does not authorize someone to create or change estate planning documents on another person's behalf. Your parent must initiate the process and work with us directly. If your parent is no longer able to make decisions independently, it may be too late to create new estate planning documents.
I Need Power of Attorney for My Parent
Your parent would need to be the client, to do their own estate planning. If your parent can no longer manage their own affairs, you may need to pursue a guardianship through the courts. We do not handle guardianship proceedings.
What Does an Estate Plan Cost?
We charge a flat fee of $500 for the Planning Meeting. Pricing for your full estate plan is discussed at that appointment. We can send you pricing information along with a worksheet to get started.
Can I get just one document, such as a Power of Attorney or a Will, without a full estate plan?
Our office focuses on comprehensive estate planning and does not prepare standalone documents. A single document prepared without looking at the full picture can create gaps or unintended consequences. If you are looking for only one document, our process may not be the right fit for your needs
I need an appointment right away.
Unfortunately, our office is unable to offer immediate appointments. As we treat the estate planning process as being very unique to each client, we spend a lot of time with our clients, and preparing their estate plan. The process ensures that we have enough time to provide customization for each unique situation.
The sooner you complete and return your packet and then your worksheet, the sooner you can schedule your Planning Meeting. Please note that Planning Meetings are often booked two to three months in advance, and sometimes further out, depending on the time of year.
Contact Our Team Today
Wenzel & Wenzel, PLLC, in Waynesville, NC, can be reached at