My name is Randy Smith, and I built this site because I watched my parents navigate estate planning — and I wished a resource like this had existed when we started.
I’m not a lawyer. I’m not a financial advisor. I’m a son from Tallahassee, Florida, who sat at the kitchen table with his aging parents and tried to figure out how to protect what they’d spent a lifetime building — for me, for my brother, and for all the grandchildren.
That’s the whole story. Everything on this site comes from that experience, and from the years of research and conversations with other families that followed.
How This Started
A few years ago, my dad had a health scare. Nothing life-threatening, but enough to put him in the hospital for four days and enough to shake me awake. Sitting in that hospital room, I realized I didn’t know the answers to basic questions: Did my parents have a will? A trust? Where were their accounts? Who was supposed to be in charge if something happened? What did they actually want?
I’d been putting off that conversation for years. Not because I didn’t care — because I didn’t know how to start it. I was afraid of seeming greedy. I was afraid of making my parents confront their own mortality. I was afraid of the awkwardness. So I kept telling myself, “They’re healthy. There’s time. I’ll bring it up next visit.”
My dad’s hospital stay ended that avoidance. And what followed was months of learning — about living trusts, about probate, about powers of attorney, about estate taxes, about all the things nobody teaches you until you need to know them. My parents and I sat at their kitchen table more times than I can count, working through the decisions together. We met with attorneys. We asked hard questions. We had uncomfortable conversations. And eventually, we got it done.
The plan we put together gave my parents peace of mind. It gave me and my brother clarity. And it meant that when the time came, what my parents built would go exactly where they wanted it to go — not to probate courts, not to unnecessary fees, not to the state’s default formula.
Why I Built This Site
After we went through the process, I started hearing the same story from friends, neighbors, and coworkers: “My parents don’t have a plan.” “I don’t know how to bring it up.” “I think they have a will from 20 years ago, but I’m not sure.” “My mom just got a diagnosis, and we have nothing in place.”
And when they went online to learn, what they found was law firm marketing — content designed to sell someone’s services, not to actually educate families. Clinical, jargon-heavy articles that talked at people instead of with them. Nothing that acknowledged the emotional reality of what these families were going through. Nothing that sounded like a real person who’d actually been through it.
I built Family Estate Guide to fill that gap. Every page on this site is written from the perspective of someone who’s sat at that kitchen table — not someone who’s trying to sell you a consultation. My goal is to give you the plain-English education and state-specific guidance you need to protect your family, and to do it in a voice that acknowledges how hard and how important this process is.
What This Site Is (and What It Isn’t)
What this site is:
- A free educational resource for families navigating estate planning — especially adult children helping aging parents
- State-specific guidance covering probate rules, trust requirements, estate and inheritance taxes, and attorney fee ranges for all 50 states and DC
- Written from personal experience — every topic on this site is something I encountered, researched, or learned during my own family’s estate planning process
- Researched from primary sources — state statutes, government websites, bar association publications, and other authoritative resources (see our Editorial Standards page for our full research methodology)
- Regularly updated — estate planning laws change, and I review and update content to reflect current rules
What this site is not:
- Not legal advice. I’m not an attorney, and nothing on this site should be taken as legal advice. Every family’s situation is different, and estate planning involves state-specific laws that require professional guidance. Always consult with an estate planning attorney in your state before making decisions about your family’s plan.
- Not a law firm. This site doesn’t provide legal services, prepare legal documents, or represent clients in any legal matter.
- Not a substitute for professional guidance. This site is meant to educate and prepare you so that when you sit down with an attorney, you know the right questions to ask and you understand the answers.
Why Trust This Site
I understand that estate planning is a serious topic, and you should be skeptical of advice from someone on the internet. Here’s why I believe this site earns your trust:
- Firsthand experience. I’m not writing about estate planning in the abstract. I went through this process with my own parents — from the first awkward conversation to the final signed documents. Every challenge, every decision point, every emotional hurdle I describe on this site is one I’ve personally experienced.
- Primary source research. Every state page is built from state statutes, official government websites, state bar association resources, and other authoritative sources. I don’t copy content from other blogs or rely on secondhand information. Sources are cited and verifiable.
- Transparent methodology. Our Editorial Standards page explains exactly how content is researched, fact-checked, reviewed, and updated. If we make an error, we correct it publicly.
- No hidden agenda. I’m upfront about how this site works. The content is free. In the future, this site may earn revenue through attorney referral partnerships — connecting families with qualified estate planning attorneys in their state. If and when that happens, it will be clearly disclosed. But the educational content you read here is not influenced by any commercial relationship.
- Real person, real contact. I’m a real person in Tallahassee, Florida. You can reach me at randy@familyestateguide.com. I read every email and respond personally.
The Mission
The “Great Wealth Transfer” is underway — an estimated $84 trillion passing from baby boomers to their children and grandchildren over the next two decades. That’s not an abstract economic statistic. That’s your parents’ house. Their retirement savings. The life insurance policy they’ve been paying into for 30 years. The small business they built from nothing.
Too much of that wealth will be lost to probate courts, unnecessary taxes, family conflicts, and planning failures. Not because families don’t care, but because nobody showed them what to do.
This site exists to change that — one family at a time.
Whether you’re just starting to think about your parents’ future, dealing with an urgent health situation, or settling an estate after a loss, I want you to find clear answers here. Not legal jargon. Not sales pitches. Just honest, practical guidance from someone who’s been at that kitchen table.
Your parents worked too hard for probate court to decide what happens next.
Get in Touch
Have a question? A suggestion? A story to share? I’d love to hear from you.
- Email: randy@familyestateguide.com
- Location: Tallahassee, Florida
I read every message personally and do my best to respond within a few business days. I can’t provide legal advice (I’m not qualified to), but I’m always happy to point you in the right direction.