Phoenix Estate Planning Attorney
Estate planning in Phoenix is the set of Arizona documents that decides who receives your property, who makes medical and financial decisions if you can't, and who cares for your children. A complete plan usually includes a will or living trust, powers of attorney, health care directives, and a deed that keeps your home out of probate.
Maybe you just bought a home in the Valley, welcomed a child, or moved here with a plan written for another state. Francisca F. Manchac has helped families plan for more than 17 years, and she drafts every plan for the person in front of her, not from a template. Plans come in three flat-fee packages starting at $1,800. Call (832) 263-0935 for a free 30-minute virtual consultation.
Francisca F. Manchac, Esq., Managing Attorney | Licensed in Arizona and Texas | Last Updated: October 2026
Key Takeaways
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Arizona has no state estate tax or inheritance tax, so most Phoenix families plan around probate, incapacity, and family goals rather than taxes.
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If you die without a will and have children from a prior relationship, Arizona gives your spouse no share of your half of the community property.
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Arizona uses a separate Mental Health Care Power of Attorney, and every plan the firm drafts includes one.
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The firm plans for long-term care and ALTCS eligibility but does not file ALTCS applications.
Who Needs an Estate Plan in Phoenix?
Every Arizona adult needs at least a basic estate plan, because incapacity and death don't wait for a good time. Phoenix clients include:
Young Adults & Parents
Young adults (18+) who need someone authorized to make medical and financial decisions; parents who want to name a guardian for their minor children.
Homeowners & Blended Families
Homeowners who want their house to pass without probate; blended families protecting a spouse and children from prior relationships.
Retirees & New Arizona Residents
Retirees, snowbirds, and new Arizona residents planning for long-term care.
Business Owners & Investors
Business owners and real estate investors with a company or rental properties.
The firm handles planning only. It does not handle probate, court guardianships or conservatorships, trust administration after death, or ALTCS applications, and it refers that work to trusted colleagues.
Estate Planning Services in Phoenix
Estate planning services in Phoenix fall into three groups: documents that pass your property, documents that protect you during incapacity, and plans for specific family situations. Each follows Arizona law.
Wills in Phoenix
A will names who receives your property, who serves as personal representative, and who becomes guardian of your minor children. In Arizona, a will must be signed by you and two witnesses who watch the signing. A will alone doesn't avoid probate, so the firm pairs it with a beneficiary deed for your home in the Essential Plan. Couples usually sign mirror wills. Learn about wills in Phoenix.
Revocable Living Trusts in Phoenix
A revocable living trust holds your property during life and passes it to your beneficiaries without probate. You stay in control as trustee and can change it anytime. If you become incapacitated, your successor trustee manages your assets without court involvement. Couples usually sign one joint trust. Learn about living trusts in Phoenix.
Trust Funding
Trust funding moves your assets into your living trust, and a trust that isn't funded can still leave your family in probate. Funding means deeding your home to the trust, retitling bank and brokerage accounts, and naming the trust as beneficiary where that fits. In Arizona, the deed into a trust is recorded with an Affidavit of Property Value that claims the exemption for trust transfers. Every Trust Plan includes the deed of your primary residence, recording, and a funding memo that lists each account and the step it needs. Many plans fail here because the transfers never get finished, so the memo works as your checklist.
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Irrevocable & Special Needs Trusts
Irrevocable Trusts in Phoenix
An irrevocable trust moves assets out of your control for a specific goal, such as long-term care planning, life insurance planning, or passing wealth across generations. You generally can't change it once it's signed. Francisca drafts irrevocable trusts, including irrevocable life insurance trusts and dynasty trusts, and explains each trade-off before you commit. Learn about irrevocable trusts in Phoenix.
Special Needs Trusts in Phoenix
A special needs trust lets a person with a disability receive money without losing means-tested benefits such as AHCCCS or SSI. A third-party trust holds an inheritance from family. A first-party trust holds the person's own assets, such as a personal injury settlement. Learn about special needs trusts in Phoenix.
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Powers of Attorney & Health Care Directives
Durable Financial Power of Attorney in Phoenix
A durable financial power of attorney names someone to manage your money and property if you can't. Without one, your family may need a court conservatorship. In Arizona, the document must be signed before a notary and one witness, and the witness can't be your agent, the agent's spouse or children, or the notary. Learn about financial powers of attorney in Phoenix.
Health Care Power of Attorney in Phoenix
A health care power of attorney names someone to make medical decisions when you can't speak for yourself. Arizona requires a notary or one adult witness. Arizona also has a separate Mental Health Care Power of Attorney for psychiatric treatment decisions, and the firm includes it in every plan. Your guardian nomination can be written into this document too. Learn about health care powers of attorney in Phoenix.
Living Wills & Health Care Directives in Phoenix
A living will tells doctors and your family which life-sustaining treatments you want or don't want at the end of life. In Arizona, it's signed before a notary or one adult witness and works alongside your health care power of attorney. Clients can also add Arizona's Prehospital Medical Care Directive, the orange form paramedics look for. Learn about living wills in Phoenix.
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Beneficiary Review & Incapacity Planning
Beneficiary Designation Review
A beneficiary designation review makes sure your retirement accounts, life insurance, and payable-on-death accounts go where your plan says they should. These accounts pass by the form on file with the company, not by your will or trust. An outdated form can send money to an ex-spouse, skip a new child, or leave a minor receiving funds outright. Francisca checks each designation against your goals and your trust, then gives you a list of which forms to update and how to name each beneficiary. For retirement accounts, she also explains whether to name the trust or a person, since that choice affects how quickly heirs must withdraw and pay tax.
Incapacity Planning
Incapacity planning decides who manages your money, your health care, and your home if an illness or accident leaves you unable to act. In Arizona, the core documents are a durable financial power of attorney, health care and mental health care powers of attorney, a living will, and a HIPAA authorization. Trust Plans add successor trustee powers so your assets can be managed without a court conservatorship. Arizona has no stand-alone guardian declaration, so your nomination of who should serve as your guardian goes inside your power of attorney, and that person gets priority if a court is ever involved. Every package includes these documents.
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ALTCS, Blended Family & Minor Child Planning
ALTCS & Long-Term Care Planning in Phoenix
ALTCS planning prepares you for the cost of long-term care through the Arizona Long Term Care System, run by AHCCCS. ALTCS has strict income and asset limits. For 2026, the income cap is $2,982 a month and the asset limit is $2,000 for an individual. Applicants over the income cap may qualify through an Income Only (Miller) Trust. Francisca plans with you, but the firm does not file ALTCS applications. Learn about ALTCS planning in Phoenix.
Blended Family Estate Planning in Phoenix
Blended family estate planning protects a current spouse and children from prior relationships without forcing anyone to choose. Arizona's default rules are harsh here. If you die without a will and have children who aren't also your spouse's, Arizona law gives your spouse half of your separate property and none of your half of the community property. A trust can provide for a spouse during life and then pass assets to your children. Learn about blended family planning in Phoenix.
Minor Child Planning & Guardian Nominations
Minor child planning names who will raise your children and who will manage their money if both parents are gone. In Arizona, guardians for minor children are named in your will, and the appointment takes effect when the guardian files an acceptance with the probate court. Without a nomination, a judge decides, and relatives may disagree. Francisca helps you name a guardian and backups, and she can set up a trust so a child doesn't receive an inheritance outright at 18. A trustee can then pay for school, housing, and health care on your terms.
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Young Adults, Business Owners & Plan Reviews
Estate Planning for Young Adults (18+)
Estate planning for young adults gives someone legal authority to help when an adult child is sick or hurt. Once your child turns 18, you no longer have automatic access to medical information or the right to make decisions for them, even if you pay their tuition and insurance. A young adult plan includes a durable financial power of attorney, health care and mental health care powers of attorney, a living will, and a HIPAA authorization. These documents matter most for college students and young adults living away from home.
Estate Planning for Business Owners & Real Estate Investors in Phoenix
Estate planning for business owners and investors keeps a company or rental portfolio running if you die or become incapacitated. The Business & Asset Protection Plan adds an Arizona LLC filed with the Arizona Corporation Commission, an operating agreement, and an assignment of your ownership to your trust. Rental properties can be deeded into the LLC. Learn about planning for business owners in Phoenix.
Estate Plan Review & Updates
An estate plan review checks your existing documents against your family, your assets, and current Arizona law. The firm reviews plans whether Francisca's office or another attorney prepared them. Common updates include trust amendments and restatements, new wills, replacement powers of attorney, and funding check-ups that confirm deeds and accounts still line up with your trust. Review your plan every few years and after a marriage, divorce, birth, death, move, or large change in assets. Clients who moved to Phoenix from another state often need new health care documents and a beneficiary deed that their old plan never included.
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Why Choose The Law Offices of Francisca Manchac, PLLC for Estate Planning
Francisca publishes her prices. Each of the three packages lists exactly which Arizona documents you receive, so you can compare before you call. You work with her directly from the first consultation to the signing, not a rotating set of associates. Bitsy Deubler, the firm's client experience specialist, keeps each step on schedule.
Her practice also covers asset protection, business law, real estate, and marital agreements. One attorney can coordinate your trust with your LLC, your rental deeds, and your prenup or postnup. She's licensed in both Arizona and Texas, which helps families with property or relatives in both states. She received the Avvo Clients' Choice Award 2026.
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Francisca did my estate plan. It was so easy and I understood all the documents. She is great to work with and really knows her stuff.
Nicky
Why Hiring an Estate Planning Attorney Matters
An estate plan is only tested after something has already gone wrong, when it's too late to fix. These are the mistakes Francisca sees most.
What goes wrong alone
Signing errors. A will without proper witnesses, or a power of attorney with the wrong witness, can fail when your family needs it.
What experience adds
Unfunded trusts. The trust is signed, but the house and accounts were never moved into it, so probate happens anyway.
How outcomes differ
Outdated beneficiary forms. A retirement account goes to an ex-spouse because nobody updated the form. An attorney catches these problems while they cost little to fix. A clear plan lets your family act in days. Gaps can mean months in court.
Who This Process
Involves
Francisca and you work through the plan by video. Bitsy keeps each step on schedule. The signing follows Arizona's witness and notary rules.
Francisca F. Manchac
Francisca learns your family, assets, and goals, recommends a package, drafts your documents, and walks you through them by video.
You & Your Family
Complete the Client Intake Form at least 24 hours before your consultation and upload any existing documents. Discuss your family's goals and review drafts before signing.
Witnesses & Notary
Each document must meet Arizona's signing rules. Francisca coordinates the signing so witnesses and a notary are present as required.
Your Chosen Agents & Trustee
You choose agents to make financial and health care decisions and a successor trustee to manage trust assets if you become incapacitated.
What Your Estate Plan Includes
Estate planning at the firm costs a flat fee between $1,800 and $8,000, depending on the package and whether you're single or a couple. Every package follows Arizona law. You leave with signed documents, recorded deeds, and a clear answer to who will speak for you if you can't.
What You Receive
- Essential Plan: Will, durable financial power of attorney, health care and mental health care powers of attorney, living will, HIPAA authorization, guardian nominations for minor children, and a recorded beneficiary deed for your home. The Prehospital Medical Care Directive is optional.
- Trust Plan: Everything in the Essential Plan, plus a revocable living trust, pour-over will, certification of trust, recorded deed of your home into the trust, assignment of personal property, and funding memo. The trust deed replaces the beneficiary deed.
- Business & Asset Protection Plan: Everything in the Trust Plan, plus an Arizona LLC, operating agreement, organizational resolutions and EIN, assignment of your ownership to the trust, and deeds of rental property into the LLC.
What You Avoid
- Probate risk: A will alone doesn't avoid probate; a beneficiary deed or funded living trust can keep your home out of probate.
- Incapacity court proceedings: Powers of attorney and successor trustee provisions help your chosen people act without a court guardianship or conservatorship.
- Signing mistakes: Documents are coordinated to meet Arizona witness and notary rules.
- Outdated or misaligned transfers: The funding memo and beneficiary review help align deeds and account forms with your plan.
Arizona Rules That Shape Your Estate Plan
Many Phoenix homeowners can avoid probate with a will and a beneficiary deed. A living trust adds private, court-free management if you become incapacitated, and it handles more complex families, rental property, and out-of-state real estate better. Arizona's own rules shape that choice.
Beneficiary Deeds & Survivorship
An Arizona beneficiary deed names who receives your home at your death, without probate. You keep full ownership during life. The deed only works if it's recorded with the county recorder before your death, such as the Maricopa County Recorder or Pinal County Recorder. Arizona married couples can also hold their home as community property with right of survivorship; the deed itself passes the home to the surviving spouse.
Small-Estate Affidavit Limits
Arizona lets heirs collect personal property worth up to $200,000 by affidavit 30 days after death, and real property worth up to $300,000 by affidavit after six months. Those shortcuts help small estates, but they don't replace a plan for incapacity or minor children.
Electronic Wills in Arizona
Arizona permits electronic wills, and witnesses can be present electronically if they're physically in the United States. Rules for each document differ, so Francisca confirms how your plan will be signed when you engage the firm.
What Happens After You Call The Law Offices of Francisca Manchac, PLLC
Your plan moves through four steps, from a free video consultation to signed documents, with your flat fee set before work begins.
01
Free 30-Minute Virtual Consultation
Book an Estate Planning consultation and complete the Client Intake Form at least 24 hours before your call. Upload any existing documents. Francisca learns your family, assets, and goals, then recommends a package.
02
Engagement and Flat Fee
You confirm your package and flat fee before work begins. Representation starts when you sign an engagement agreement, since the consultation alone doesn't create an attorney-client relationship.
03
Drafting and Plain-Language Review
Francisca drafts your documents and walks you through each one by video. You ask questions and request changes until the plan fits. Bitsy keeps the timeline on track.
04
Signing and Funding
Francisca coordinates your signing so each document meets Arizona's witness and notary rules. The firm records your deed and gives you a funding memo for your accounts.
Common Questions About Estate Planning in Phoenix
Something else on your mind? Call or text (832) 263-0935.
What does an estate planning attorney do?
An estate planning attorney writes the documents that decide who receives your property, who makes decisions if you can't, and who raises your children if you're gone. In Arizona, that usually means a will or living trust, a durable financial power of attorney, health care and mental health care powers of attorney, a living will, and deeds that move your home outside probate. A good attorney also asks the questions people skip, such as what happens if a beneficiary has special needs. Francisca then explains each document in plain language before you sign.
Do I need an estate plan if I don't have much money?
Yes. Estate planning is as much about decisions as it is about money. Without a durable power of attorney and health care documents, your family may need a court guardianship or conservatorship to pay your bills or talk to your doctors if you become incapacitated. Without a will, Arizona law decides who inherits and a judge picks a guardian for your minor children. The Essential Plan covers these basics for a flat fee.
What should not be placed in a living trust?
Retirement accounts such as IRAs, 401(k)s, and 403(b)s should usually stay in your name, because retitling them can trigger income tax. They pass through beneficiary designations instead, which can name the trust if that fits your plan. Health savings accounts work the same way. Most other assets, such as your home, bank accounts, brokerage accounts, and business interests, belong in the trust or should name it as a beneficiary. Francisca's funding memo spells out exactly what goes where.
Is my estate plan from another state valid in Arizona?
Usually, yes. Arizona generally honors a will that was validly signed under the law of the state where you signed it. That doesn't mean the plan works well here. Health care documents from other states may not match Arizona forms, which can slow things down at a hospital. Arizona also has its own mental health care power of attorney and beneficiary deeds that most out-of-state plans don't include. If you moved to Phoenix from another state, an Arizona review is the simplest fix.
Can I make my own will online instead of hiring an attorney?
You can, but online forms leave the hard parts to you. They can't tell you whether your plan fits Arizona community property rules, how a blended family inherits, or whether your home will still go through probate. They also can't catch signing mistakes, and a will that isn't signed and witnessed correctly may not be valid. A flat-fee plan from an Arizona attorney costs more up front and much less when it's needed.
Does a living trust protect my assets from ALTCS or creditors?
A revocable living trust does not. Because you keep control and can change it anytime, Arizona treats the assets as yours for creditors and for ALTCS eligibility. A revocable trust avoids probate and lets a successor trustee manage your assets if you become incapacitated, but it isn't asset protection. Long-term care planning uses different tools, such as certain irrevocable trusts, and those come with real trade-offs and timing rules.
Does the firm handle probate?
No. The firm does not open or administer probate estates, represent personal representatives or heirs in court, or prepare small-estate affidavits. It focuses on planning, so your family is less likely to need probate in the first place. A living trust or a beneficiary deed can keep your home and accounts out of Maricopa or Pinal County probate court. If a family member has already passed away and the estate needs probate, the firm refers you to trusted outside counsel.
Can I work with Francisca virtually from anywhere in Arizona?
Yes. The Law Offices of Francisca Manchac, PLLC is a virtual firm, so your consultation happens by video from home or work. You upload documents, review drafts on screen, and text the office with questions. That makes it easy for clients across Maricopa and Pinal Counties, and anywhere else in Arizona, to get a plan done without driving across the Valley. Francisca coordinates your signing, and the details are set when you engage the firm.
Areas We Serve
The Law Offices of Francisca Manchac, PLLC serves Phoenix families across Maricopa and Pinal Counties, and clients anywhere in Arizona by video. Deeds are recorded with the county recorder where your property sits. This page provides general information about Arizona law and is not legal advice. Reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship.
Speak With an Estate Planning Attorney in Phoenix
The best time to plan is while you're healthy and nothing feels urgent. Start with a free 30-minute virtual consultation with Francisca. Call (832) 263-0935 to book your time. You'll leave the call knowing which package fits your family and exactly what it costs.