Widowed or Single: Estate Planning When You’re On Your Own
For anyone planning alone with children, whether widowed, divorced or never married. One flat fee, single or married. You do it all from home, and your kids can join the call.
Find Out Where You Stand
Your first call is free, about 15 minutes, and happens by phone with Shawn.
Talk to a real person (770) 710-3422
“I’m on my own now. Who handles my money if I end up in the hospital?”
Two moments your plan has to handle
When you’re on your own, there are two moments to plan for. Here is what happens in each one when there is no plan.
Without a plan
- 1
If you can’t speak for yourself
There is no spouse to step in. With no financial power of attorney, your family has to ask a probate court to appoint someone before anyone can sign for you on your money and property. And without a health care directive, your wishes about your care aren’t written down anywhere.
With your plan - 2
When you’re gone
With only a will, anything in your name alone, with no beneficiary named, usually goes through probate court before your kids get it. Going through probate, a simple estate takes about 13 months and costs about $14,700 on average. Your children can’t sell the house until it is in their names at the end of probate.
With your plan
If you’ve been putting this off, you’re not behind. Most people planning alone don’t know where to start.
“Can’t I just put it in my kids’ names?”
What people assume, and what really happens
Friends and family mean well. These are the shortcuts people are told about most. Each one has a catch.
| What people assume | What really happens |
|---|---|
| “I’ll add my daughter to my bank account.” | If you add one child to your account, that child owns all of it when you die. Your will cannot fix that. |
| “I’ll give the house to my kids now.” | If you give the house away while you are living, your children can lose the tax reset they would get by inheriting it. |
| “I need an irrevocable trust.” | Most people planning alone don’t. An irrevocable trust is for special goals, like planning ahead for nursing home costs. A revocable trust does not protect your savings from nursing home costs. For most people, a revocable trust is the right fit. You stay in charge, and you can change it while you’re living. |
| “A trust is to save taxes.” | Georgia has no estate tax. In 2026, federal estate tax only applies above $15 million per person. A trust is about who steps in, and keeping what is in it out of probate court. |
“What would you actually do for me?”
How your plan handles each moment
With your plan
- 1
If you can’t speak for yourself
You sign a financial power of attorney, a health care directive and a medical records release. You choose who steps in, so your family usually does not have to ask a court. Your trust names the person you picked to take over managing it if you can’t.
- 2
When you’re gone
The person you named takes over and follows your instructions. What is in your trust goes to your kids the way you planned, without probate court. You decide whether each child gets their share all at once or over time. And they can call us for help.
If your husband or wife recently passed
We’re sorry. Here is what most people need to know first.
What is already yours
A joint bank account is yours the day your spouse dies. You do not need a court.
Two names on the deed is not enough for the house. The deed has to say you owned it as joint tenants, or with survivorship.
What may need paperwork, or the court
If the deed did say that, your spouse’s name on it is a paperwork problem. Recording an affidavit with the date of death puts it on the county record.
Anything in your spouse’s name alone, with nobody named to receive it, usually goes through probate court.
What about your own plan?
Your own plan can wait until you’re ready. There is no rush. We don’t handle probate court cases.
What it costs
Most clients choose our Foundation package. It is one flat fee:
$3,500
- No hourly billing.
- The price is the same whether you are single or married. You can split it into payments, with no interest and no credit check.
What’s included
Your documents
- One revocable living trust
- A pour-over willA backup. If something in your name alone is left out of your trust, your will sends it there. It goes through probate court first.
- A financial power of attorney, a health care directive and a medical records release
- A new deed that moves your house into your trust
Our help
- A call with Melissa before you sign
- A Funding CheckupWe go through every account on your list. If one isn’t titled correctly, we tell you exactly how to fix it.
- A call to your CPA and your financial advisor
- A written checklist after you sign
For the years ahead
- A call with the person you named to take over
- A call for your family when you’re gone
- One year of the Guardian PlanOur yearly upkeep plan. It keeps your plan up to date, and simple updates are free. After the first year it is optional.
Own a rental, land or a second home too?There is an add-on for that: $550 for each extra Georgia property, or $1,100 per state for property in another state. You don’t need a bigger package.
How it works
You never come to an office.
Meetings are by phone, and you sign at home in front of a notary and two witnesses you line up. Your signing instructions tell you who needs to be there.
You’ll have drafts of your documents to review about 2 to 3 weeks after your Design Meeting.
No driving and no afternoon lost.
If you want your grown kids on the calls, they can join from wherever they are. If you need to sit across a desk from someone, we may not be the right fit, and we’ll say so.
A 15-Minute Call With Shawn
Tell us what is going on with your family. Shawn walks you through your options and what each one costs. Free.
The Design Meeting With Shawn and Melissa
In a 60-minute meeting, Shawn and Melissa review your assets, your family, and your goals together and confirm your price. This meeting is credited toward your plan if you move forward.
Review Every Document With Melissa
Before you sign, Melissa walks through every document with you in plain language. No legal jargon. No confusion about what you are signing.
Sign at Home
You sign at home, in front of a notary and witnesses you line up. Your signing instructions tell you who needs to be there. After you sign, you get a written checklist of what to do next.
Who you’ll work with
Melissa Breyer
Georgia Estate Planning Attorney
Melissa Breyer is a Georgia estate planning attorney who works exclusively on trust-based estate planning and LLC formation. She personally designs and drafts every plan at The Hive Law after the initial call. Every plan is built from scratch for your specific family, your specific assets, and your specific wishes.
You talk to Shawn first. Melissa is the attorney who designs and drafts your plan.
I sat in on her meeting with Melissa, and Melissa did a great job of simplifying complex legalese into easily understood concepts.
What Our Clients Say
122+ Five-Star Google Reviews
I lost my father in February of this year without any estate planning in place. The process of dealing with the probate court has been overwhelming and expensive. After this experience, I contacted The Hive Law to set up a trust so my children never have to go through what I’ve been through. Melissa and Shawn were compassionate, knowledgeable, and made the entire process simple. I highly recommend The Hive Law!
Rachel ShannonGoogle Review
The Hive Law Firm did an excellent job helping my mother-in-law with her estate plan. The process felt overwhelming at first, but their team walked us through every step with compassion and professionalism. They listened to our concerns, explained things in simple terms, and made sure our mother’s wishes were honored. We’re very grateful for their guidance.
Reneida WilliamsGoogle Review
For several years now I have been thinking about having a will drawn up, but continued to procrastinate until an older sibling had a medical situation occur which none of the family was prepared for. This was the determining factor for me to get it done. We never know when an emergency medical situation could arise and I didn’t want my other siblings to be scrambling around trying to figure things out in the event I couldn’t make any decisions for myself, or God forbid I pass away. My attorney (Melissa), was very funny and made the whole experience quite entertaining. She listened to what I wanted and explained the type of plan I needed. Thanks Melissa & Shawn for making the process an enjoyable experience.
Rena SolomonGoogle Review
The Probate Free Guarantee:
If an asset on your Funding Checkup list ends up in Georgia probate because of our error, we handle the legal work at no charge, up to $5,000 in total legal fees.
Common questions
Talk to a real person(770) 710-3422
You do not have to have a trust in Georgia, single or married. A trust helps most if you own a home, or have accounts with no beneficiary named. A home or an account in your name alone, with no one named to get it, usually goes through probate court before your kids get it. A trust that holds them is how you plan around that. A will alone does not avoid probate.
With only a will, a paid-off house in your name alone usually goes through probate before it is your children’s. Once the house is deeded into your trust, the backup trustee you named can handle it without probate court.
You name a backup trustee by name, the person who takes over managing your trust if you can’t. At The Hive Law, we talk through who that should be with you at your Design Meeting. That person can have a call with us to learn the job.
With a revocable trust, you stay in charge. You can spend your money, sell your house, and change your trust while you’re living.
Accounts with a beneficiary form, like life insurance or an IRA, go to whoever is named on the form. Your will can’t change that. If a form still names your late husband or wife and no backup, that form needs to be updated. At The Hive Law, we go over the beneficiary names you give us, so they match the rest of your plan. You fill out any changes with each company.
The will in your plan is a safety net. Anything in your name alone that was left out of your trust gets sent into it. Whatever the will catches still goes through probate court first, which is why The Hive Law checks your list of accounts.
At The Hive Law, you can split the flat fee into payments, with no interest, no application and no credit check.
Your trust can say whether each child gets their share all at once or over time. You decide that when your trust is written. In Georgia, a child under 18 usually can’t be handed a large inheritance. Without a plan, a court may have to name someone to manage it, and that person can be your child’s other parent. A trust written by The Hive Law holds your child’s share until they are an adult. The backup trustee you picked manages it and follows the rules in your trust.
If you die while your child is under 18 and your child’s other parent is living, Georgia law usually puts that parent in charge of raising your child, even after a divorce. If there is no other parent, a will is the place to name the person you want to raise your child. A trust cannot name that person. Our guide for parents of young children walks through it.
A plan you made with your husband or wife years ago may still work, but it needs a look. If you named each other for every job, like who handles the money, who makes health care choices, and who gets everything, the backup you picked years ago is now first in line. If you never picked one, a court may have to name someone to handle your money.
Just want the price? Call. It’s free.
Your first call is free, about 15 minutes, and happens by phone with Shawn. If you move forward, your next step is the Design Meeting with Shawn and Melissa, which is credited toward your plan.
Your first call always gives a price. If it isn’t a fit, we say so. No pressure.