Different by design.

I spent most of my 20s and 30s happy to be a lawyer with a career in public service. In my position at the University of Denver, I conducted studies on how to improve the delivery of legal services, as the traditional model is becoming increasingly outdated and inaccessible to most Americans. Professionally, things were great. But personally, I was really struggling with an unfulfilled desire to have a family.

In 2015, after several Herculean years, my husband and I finally received the gift of our incredible son. The fact that he is here, against all odds, can still bring me to tears sometimes. Happy ending? Yes. And, my son came with critical and complex medical needs. Caring for, suffering with, and advocating on behalf of my child, the preciousness and fragility of life could not be more clear. My heart simultaneously softened and become more tenacious.

The instinct to protect and provide for our families is strong. My experience has shown me that we are all vulnerable to an unexpected crisis, and as a lawyer I knew that estate planning was one of the most important things I could do for my family. Yet, I found myself among the 60% of people without any kind of plan. Why? So many reasons. Primarily, the task felt overwhelming and the cost uncertain. I saw from the other side what I had studied for years: attorney services out of alignment with real life.

Technology’s answer, DIY estate plans online, provide documents but not necessarily solutions to problems (and they can create problems of their own). I knew going that route would be a mistake, but a third way did not exist.

So I decided to build what I needed: An estate planning process with understandable outcomes and transparent costs. A process with extensive decision-making guidance along with personalized legal advice, delivered in a welcoming and non-judgmental environment. A process that makes planning for the future meaningful for life in this moment.

And that is how Nido Planning was born. Because an estate plan can’t help families like mine if it isn’t done.