On the Real Money podcast, we cover how to build real security for yourself and those you love. But few topics matter more and are more overlooked than estate planning. So, when I sat down with estate planning Attorney Shane Jasmine Young, we took a deep dive into why trusting online templates or AI-generated documents can unravel even the best-laid plans, and why personalized, ongoing support is essential for true peace of mind.
Shane’s approach to estate planning comes from both professional experience and personal conviction. She shared a powerful story about helping her best friend, who was facing brain cancer, prepare everything in advance; medical directives, guardianship for her sons, and financial arrangements. That allowed her friend’s family to focus on care and shared time, instead of paperwork and legal headaches. Shane remained involved not only as a lawyer but as a friend, helping the family navigate loss with the confidence that everything was handled. She made it clear how estate planning is not just about documents, it’s about enabling dignity, care, and less stress for loved ones facing upheaval.
The True Cost of Skipping Proper Estate Planning
Shane broke down what’s really at stake when people try to go it alone with online legal forms. If your documents aren’t comprehensive and adapted to your needs and state laws you end up placing your family’s financial future in the court’s hands. That means probate: a slow, expensive, and public process. Most people don’t realize that probate can drag on for a year or more and eat up 5–8% (or even more) of an estate’s value in court costs, attorney fees, and delays. Unfortunately, those losses could have been prevented with proper planning. And it’s not just about numbers. Probate exposes private family assets to public view and forces loved ones to wait for access often during the hardest time of their lives. When documents are unclear or missing, courts step in to make decisions you probably would have made differently yourself. Sometimes, this means assets go to the wrong beneficiaries, or young children end up with guardians you wouldn’t have chosen.
What Real Estate Planning Looks Like
Shane explained the critical difference between a stack of documents and a plan that truly works. Here’s what she builds with her clients:
Revocable Living Trusts
Trusts are powerful. They let you determine who manages or inherits your assets if you’re incapacitated or after you pass. Shane favors revocable trusts for most people; they’re flexible, private, and easy to update as your life changes. A trust keeps your estate out of probate, meaning fewer costs, less waiting, and more privacy for your loved ones.
Pour-Over Wills and Guardianship
A will is your estate’s backup plan. Even if you have a trust, assets that don’t make it in need direction. A “pour-over” will scoops up anything left out and puts it in your trust, closing potential gaps. For families with children, the will specifies guardianship provisions and can outline support for pets, making sure every member (even the furry ones) is considered.
Durable Powers of Attorney and Health Directives
Who will speak for you if you can’t? Shane emphasizes durable powers of attorney and clear healthcare directives. Without these, families have to make painful, urgent choices or battle over financial access when someone’s capacity changes, which only adds to emotional stress.
Life is rarely static. Shane’s process involves regular review meetings to revisit plans after big life changes like a new child, marriage, divorce, buying a home, or changing state laws. Too often, DIY or “sign-and-forget” services don’t account for these updates. Without them, even the best document can fail you.
The Hidden Dangers of DIY and Automated Estate Planning
The risks of web-based forms and AI tools came up again and again in my conversation with Shane. Here’s what often goes wrong:
One-Size-Fits-All Forms Can’t Catch Nuance
Technology has its place, but online estate planning platforms miss what makes each family unique. Courts, life circumstances, and family needs are all different. Shane has seen clients rely on online templates, not knowing their state’s probate threshold was much lower than expected, or missing special requirements for blended families, family businesses, or property held in multiple states.
AI Lacks Judgment and Personalization
Shane personally tested AI solutions and showed how they often gave incomplete or even wrong advice. AI can’t probe for missing information or ask about your family’s unique needs. On the surface, these documents look official but one missing clause or an unchecked box and your plan falls apart under legal scrutiny.
Incomplete Documents Expose Families to Probate
Shane’s real-world stories included families discovering after a loved one’s death that key signatures, witness requirements, or asset transfers were skipped in DIY documents. The result? The courts step in, delay everything, publicize private details, and collect thousands in fees. Sometimes, even assets intended for a specific beneficiary end up with the wrong person.
Asset Protection and Advanced Strategies
Shane’s expertise extends to sophisticated tools for families and business owners with unique needs:
Nevada-Based Trusts: Thanks to favorable laws, Shane guides clients to use Nevada-based trusts for greater protection, privacy, and quicker administration, especially for residents or those with property in the state.
Irrevocable Trust Structures: When shielding assets from creditors or navigating tax and Medicaid planning, Shane helps clients weigh the pros and cons of irrevocable trusts offering greater protection, but with a permanent transfer of ownership.
Strategies to Avoid Probate: Beyond trusts, Shane uses transfer-on-death accounts, proper titling, and beneficiary designations to minimize what passes through probate, keeping more wealth in the family and reducing stress.
Women, Families, and the Power of Ongoing Relationships
Shane highlighted the special importance of estate planning for women who often serve as decision-makers, caregivers, and legacy builders for their families. She urges women to take the lead in documenting wishes, naming guardians, and establishing plans that reflect changing family needs and business interests. Shane belongs to networks like Women Decision makers, connecting with women leaders and ensuring support extends well beyond document signing.
This relationship-based approach means her clients get guidance at each stage of life: adding children, launching a business, managing changing laws, or dealing with illness and loss. Shane’s follow-up is not a one-time service but an ongoing partnership—one that has helped countless families and businesses avoid costly mistakes and emotional turmoil.
Business Owners: Preparing for the Next Generation
For business owners, succession and legacy are part of the equation. Shane works with owners to ensure their estate and business documents are in sync addressing ownership transfers, buy-sell agreements, powers of attorney for business affairs, and clarifying management if a leader is incapacitated.
She also encourages open conversations, training next-generation leaders, and mapping out contingencies for unexpected events. The goal is always a seamless transition that minimizes conflict and secures the company’s future.
Real Stories, Real Impact
Some of the most compelling moments from my podcast with Shane came from her stories working closely with families especially her own friends. Whether it was preparing for illness, guiding a family through the loss of a loved one, or making sure minor children and pets were cared for, Shane saw first-hand how the right plan created stability and comfort.
She also described the heartbreak she’s witnessed when families face the court system due to missing, vague, or improperly executed documents, struggles that compound grief and carry real financial and emotional costs. Again and again, she emphasized: an effective estate plan isn’t just paperwork, it’s a living, evolving guide that protects your family.
What To Do Next: Take Action Before It’s Too Late
If this feels overwhelming, know that you’re not alone and you don’t have to go it alone. Shane offers complimentary planning sessions to understand your specific situation. She helps families clarify where documents are kept, names designated agents, and walks through scenarios so everyone’s prepared to make decisions without last-minute panic.
You’re looking for an attorney who is in it for the long haul not just a document, but a relationship. Shane’s focus is helping clients adapt as life changes, always keeping families in control.
Final Thoughts: Proactive Planning is Empowerment
The bottom line? DIY estate planning isn’t just risky, it can unwind what you’ve worked to build over a lifetime. With the right guidance and ongoing partnership, you can avoid probate, protect privacy, reduce costs, and give your loved ones the gift of clarity during difficult times.
Shane Jasmine Young’s message is a powerful one: Don’t wait. Take charge now while you have control. Real wealth isn’t just what you leave behind, but how you prepare your family for life’s most challenging moments.
Key Takeaways
- Prioritize a tailored, thorough plan. It lets your family focus on care and healing, not red tape and stress.
- Generic, DIY documents are risky. They leave gaps that can send families into probate court, expose assets, or even send inheritances to unintended beneficiaries.
- A lawyer’s guidance is ongoing. Estate plans must evolve as your life and laws change so does the need for regular reviews and updates.
ABOUT LISA CHASTAIN:
Lisa uses many tools that she used throughout her money journey and invites you to try them as well. As a first step, she recommends reading her book, Girl, Get Your $hit Together in which she helps women tackle their financial story and shares her entire story. After reading the book, she invites listeners to join the Stop Budgeting System– the very method she used to gain financial freedom and clarity.
ABOUT MY NEW BOOK:
I’m beyond excited to share that Stop Budgeting Start Living is officially here! This book is the culmination of years of working with women who are ready to rewrite their money stories and step into financial confidence.
Inside, you’ll find strategies to uncover the roots of your money mindset, break free from limiting financial patterns, and create a new path toward wealth and independence.
This release feels especially powerful as we honor the progress women have made financially—and the bold steps we’re still taking together. I can’t wait for you to dive in, apply these tools, and start building the financial future you deserve.
Your journey to living fully, without the weight of restrictive budgeting, starts now.