Strategic Clarity on Estate and Succession Decisions

This isn’t about what’s technically possible.
It’s about what actually holds when the plan hits real life.

Whether you're starting from scratch, questioning professional advice, or staring down a 100-page Will binder that doesn't sit right, this is a second opinion on what happens after the plan is signed. I help you see how things actually play out, so your family doesn't pay the price later for something that looked fine on paper.

No noise. No pressure. Just experienced, judgment-driven clarity on the real consequences of succession decisions you’re facing.

You don’t need another advisor telling you what most people do or what's the most tax-efficient.

You need one sharp, experienced opinion about real life implications so you can move forward, hold the line, or walk away from a bad direction. This isn't tax planning - this is aftermath prevention.

Whether you’re starting fresh or second-guessing something already in motion, this isn’t about complexity. It’s about confidence.

Anyone can give you options. I help you see the consequences.

Do You Need Clarity on Your Estate or Succession Plan?

You've hit a wall. And you're smart enough to know what happens when people charge ahead anyway.

This isn’t about tweaking paperwork. It’s about seeing the fallout before it lands in your family's lap.

Maybe your team of advisors have kludged together a monstrosity that no one understands and doesn't feel right.

Maybe you're stuck between advisors giving conflicting opinions and no one’s saying how any of it actually plays out in real life, with real people, under real pressure.

Maybe you haven’t started at all and feel overwhelmed and don’t want to get boxed in by bad first steps.

Because no matter how neat the plan looks on paper, once real life hits, people don’t follow scripts. The assumptions break. The dynamics shift. The plan starts to wobble.

My job is to catch that before it happens. Or before it happens again.

You need clarity.  Because once the plan is in motion, your family are the ones living with the aftermath.

What Estate Clarity Is (and Isn't)

I’m not here to give you “another take.” I’m here to help you prevent fallout that your current team might not be thinking about.

This is a focused engagement—not a sales funnel. I help you make smart, pressure-tested decisions about estate, succession, or control before they get locked in.

It starts with a short screening call. If we’re a fit, you’ll send whatever helps me understand the situation—a draft, a summary, or what’s keeping you up at night.

 Then we meet. Sometimes it’s one conversation. Sometimes it’s two. Either way, it’s built to be self-contained so you can move forward with clarity. I’ll ask hard questions, test assumptions, and flag where the plan is solid and what's most likely to break when it hits real life. We’re not just walking through hypotheticals—we’re stress-testing what happens if this plan plays out exactly as it’s written.

You’ll get direct, structured input from someone who isn’t trying to protect an earlier draft, pitch a product, or lock-in a never-ending retainer. You’ll leave with a clear, grounded take on what works, what doesn’t, and what I’d do in your position.

This isn’t therapy. It’s not about smoothing things over. If you’re looking for consensus or comfort, I’m not your person. If you want structural clarity and can handle sharp judgment on real life effects, we’ll get along fine.

*If your planning complexity comes from a business you own, you may be better served by the Business Succession Planning engagement, which deals with timing, control, and successor decisions.

What Clarity Costs

This isn’t priced by the hour because what you’re getting isn’t an hour.

You’re getting a high-trust checkpoint built to help you shift direction on something that matters. A second opinion that isn’t trying to protect someone else’s draft or sell you into more work. And a focused judgment call from someone who knows what tends to break when a plan meets real life.

Most engagements start at $1,000. Some go higher depending on complexity, urgency, scope, or the extent of the mess you're already in.

Some people need one sharp, strategic conversation. Others need a deeper analysis over a few discussions. Either way, I’ll quote a flat fee after our screening call once I know what’s involved. There’s no drip-feed of advice. No retainer. No fine print.

The value here isn’t in how long we talk, it’s in what gets clear by the end of it.

It’s not cheap, but cheaper than signing on to a plan you don’t fully trust. The cost of silence, confusion, or a polite nod to something flawed is much higher.

If you’re looking for run-of-the-mill advice, this isn’t the right fit. But if you want clarity you can trust before making irreversible decisions, this will be worth it.

Next Steps to Getting Clarity

If this sounds like what you need, the next step is simple.

We start with a short screening call. No prep. No pressure. Just a direct conversation to see if this is the right kind of clarity for you and the right time to get it.

If we’re aligned, I’ll let you know how I work, what I’d need from you, and what to expect. If we’re not, I’ll say so.

To book the screening call email me at blake@lifeplanninglaw.ca and I'll get back to you promptly.

I book a limited number of these each month. If it’s not the right fit or timing, I’ll let you know.

Want to see how I think through these issues?
Read a few Field Notes for blunt takes on what actually holds up in estate and succession planning—and what doesn’t.