We are available to meet with clients in Champaign-Urbana area by appointment.
Contact Us

Estate Planning and Elder Law Attorney | Dent Coulson Elder Law

Get Help Right Away

Call Today: 618-632-7000 or 217-330-5500

or Send us an email

  • Home
  • Our Services
    • Alzheimer’s Planning
    • Asset Preservation Planning
    • Estate Planning
    • Medicaid Eligibility
    • Special Needs Planning
    • Trust and Estate Administration
    • VA Benefits Planning
  • News & Videos
    • Video Series
      • Coronavirus Preparedness
      • Asset Preservation Planning
      • Common Estate Planning Mistakes
      • Dealing With Alzheimer’s
      • Financial Exploitation of Elders
      • Handling Difficult Conversations with Seniors
      • Married Couples and Medicaid
      • Medicaid Application Process
      • Medicaid Look-Back Rule and Transfer Penalties
      • Nursing Home Admission and Care
      • Veterans Pension Benefits
      • What You Can and Can’t Keep with Medicaid
    • Weekly Newsletter
    • The Elder Law Minute
  • Alzheimer’s Guide
  • Presentations
    • Health Care Power of Attorney
  • Hear From Our Clients
    • Testimonials
    • Share Your Experience
  • About
    • About Us
    • Meet Our Team
    • Partners & Resources
    • About Our Fees
    • COVID-19 Policies
    • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
    • Email Us
    • Find Our Offices
    • Refer a Friend
  • DCEL Blog

Should You Choose a Professional Trustee/Executor?

In this Elder Law Minute, Wes Coulson provides an analogy to help those understand that sometimes it pays off to spend the extra money to make sure things get done accurately.

Video Transcript:

Greetings, I’m Wes Coulson from Dent Coulson Elder Law, and this will be your Elder Law Minute. We’re happy to present these because we think we can help inform you as to the ways in which we can help you and the things that you need to think about relative to the elder care and estate planning journey. Hope you enjoy.

I want to talk to you today about the question of whether you should choose a professional trustee or executor to take care of things in the event if you’re in capacity or after you die. I think the first response that people want to have is, well, no, I have family members, and I wouldn’t want to pay, you know, the fees that they charge. Well, let me give you an analogy if you’ve talked to me, you know I love analogies that I think is a better way of looking at that question.

Let’s say that you had two hundred dollars and you need groceries, and you have two choices of people that you can send to the store. One is a well-intentioned relative who really doesn’t have a lot of experience in doing shopping for somebody else, and the other is a professional grocery shopper. So the relative’s not going to charge anything, and the professional grocery shopper is going to charge you ten dollars. You think, wow, you know, that’s ten dollars out of the two hundred. But what happens if the well-intentioned family member comes back from the store with half of your list, right, half of your list wrong, or half wrong, and ten dollars and change?

And the professional shopper comes back with everything on your list because they know what to buy and where to buy it and get exactly what you want at the best price because they’ve had a lot of experience doing that. And they bring back twenty-five dollars and change. Well, you know, the first one was free, but the second one was a better deal.

So I like to tell people that you should look at that question sort of with an open mind and look at the complexity of what needed to be done, whether you need somebody who can stand up to relatives that may want to cause trouble and consider that possibility. Not saying it’s the best choice for everyone, but I’m also saying that a family member may not be either.

Thanks.

Also looking for information about Medicaid and Asset Preservation? Visit these articles:

    • Do Living Trusts Protect Assets From Medicaid or VA Spend Down?
    • How an Asset Preservation Trust Protects Your Life Savings From Long-Term Care Costs
    • Why Do I Need an Asset Preservation Plan?

“Your Trusted Advisor on the Elder Care Journey”

Dent-Coulson Elder Law is dedicated to providing families in the St. Louis area with their Elder Law needs. Our practice areas include Asset Preservation Planning, Veterans Benefits, Medicaid Eligibility, Alzheimer’s Planning, Special Needs Planning, Estate Planning and more. We understand the financial challenges you may face as you and your loved ones grow older. At Dent-Coulson Elder Law, our clients’ well-being is our number one priority. For immediate help, call (618) 632-7000 (IL) or (314) 567-9292 (MO), or Contact Us and we will get in touch as soon as possible.

Veterans Benefits O'Fallon ILFor Immediate Help

If you or a loved one needs immediate help with a planning matter or legal issue, please contact us, and we will get back to you promptly.

774 Sunset Blvd Suite 200
O'Fallon, IL 62269
IL: (618) 632-7000
MO: (314) 567-9292

1901 South Fourth Street,
Suite 211, Effingham, IL 62401
(217) 330-5500

Fax: (618) 632-7333

Office Hours
Monday - Thursday
8:30 am - 12:00 pm
1:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Friday
8:30 am - 12:00 pm

Champaign-Urbana by appointment

Connect with Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Join us for a FREE Workshop

 

Free WorkshopsIf you have reached age 65, there's about a 45% chance that you will eventually need long-term care.

Join us for one of our highly informative and FREE workshops and find out how you can protect your family's hard-earned life savings.

Visit Free Workshops for more information.

Newsletter

Subscribe to our free weekly Newsletter and receive the latest news, updates and videos straight to your inbox!

Recent Posts

  • Knowing What You Own and How You Own It
  • Estate Planning as the First Step for Medicaid Planning
  • Guardianships: The More You Know
  • Medicaid Pre-Planning vs Emergency Medicaid Planning
  • How Should I Prepare for a Move into Long Term Care?

More News & Videos

  • Alzheimer's Planning (85)
  • Asset Preservation Planning (150)
  • Coronavirus Preparedness Series (9)
  • Coulson Elder Law (11)
  • DCEL Blog (1)
  • Document Signing (15)
  • Elder Law Minute Video (446)
  • Estate Planning (193)
  • Health Care Planning/Medicare (140)
  • Medicaid Eligibility (202)
  • News & Videos (490)
  • Special Needs Planning (48)
  • Trust Administration (14)
  • Veterans Benefits (51)

Front office building of Coulson Elder Law

Front office building of Coulson Elder Law

  • Directions to our office locations
  • Send us an email
  • About Us
  • News and Videos
  • Weekly Newsletter
  • Brochures
  • Presentations
  • Hear From Our Clients
  • Partners & Resources
  • Legal Disclaimer

Copyright © 2025 · Wesley J. Coulson | Dent Coulson Elder Law, LLC