Witzke Berry PLLC Membership Program For Clients 

What is the Foundations Program?

The Foundations program is our annual maintenance program created to give clients the protection and peace of mind that their estate plan will continue to achieve their goals and remain just as effective as the day the plan was created.   

Why is Foundations So Important?

The purpose of this program is to reduce the overall cost of estate planning, especially costs associated with disability and death, by having a process for formal review and updating.  Estate Planning to often is viewed as a “one and done” proposition.  In reality, estate planning is a lifelong process.  The foundation of that process is annual meetings to review the state of law and the state of your situation (new children, grandchildren, new assets, etc).

Even a carefully drafted estate plan can be made vulnerable by changes in the law or in the clients’ lives, but often other attorneys do nothing about it.  Foundations is our carefully constructed solution to this problem.   

Benefits of being a Foundations member:

• Annual Amendments. Amendments to comply with new Federal or State laws; or for minor changes to your documents due to changes in family situations are included in your membership.
• Annual Meeting.   As a member of Foundations you receive an annual meeting with an attorney to review the status of funding, your situation, and the legal environment.
• Access to Your Medical Directives.  Foundations gives you 24/7/365 access to Living Wills, Health Care Power of Attorney, HIPAA release, organ donation forms, hospital visitation forms, and burial instructions through a partnership with Docubank.  With Docubank, wherever you go, your Patient Advocate Designation is just a phone call away, anytime, anywhere in the world. This provides the security of a safe deposit box and the convenience of your wallet. Docubank stores your documents and sends you an Emergency Card, allowing for easy document retrieval. It also provides the names and phone numbers of your loved ones and physician so hospital staff can reach them quickly.
• Protection for Adult Children (Ages 18-25).  For our Foundations members, we will prepare powers of attorney and health care directives for their children ages 18-25.   In, Michigan a child becomes a legal adult at age 18 and therefore needs to have legal documents to appoint decision makers.  We provide this service for our clients with college age children at no additional cost through Foundations.
• Reduced Rate for Hourly Fees.  20% off our hourly fees for any additional matters that we may handle, such as funding, administration, etc.
• Reduced Fee for Planning for Parents.  As Foundations members, we will provide our estate planning services for your parents at a reduced (25%) rate.
• Unlimited Attendance to Educational Programs.  We put on regular educational seminars on a variety of topics.
• Use of Resources for Non-Estate Planning Matters.  We maintain a network of professionals (attorney and non-attorney such as accountants, financial professionals, insurance professionals, painters, plumbers, etc.) for reference upon request.  We will make every effort to match your need with an appropriate provider.