Free estate planning class at The Well offered twice a month

Brian D. King, The Norman Transcript, Okla.
Updated ·2 min read

Jan. 17—Locals who need estate advice can get it for free at The Well, 210 James Garner Ave.

On the second Wednesday at 10 a.m. and the third Thursday at 6 p.m., Mona Guziar teaches "Estate Planning Basics."

Each month, she focuses on different topics. In January, she is addressing incapacity and existing plans, and in February, she will go over advance directives.

Guziar has taught the class since 2021, when the Well opened, and she said between five and 15 people typically attend during each session, which leaves enough time to devote to each person who brings questions.

Locals are welcome to ask estate planning questions, even if they are not on par with the specific topic of the week.

Guziar started her practice at Unity Legal Services in 2020. Before that, she taught classes at different places in the community.

She does not accept money for consultation or pressure people to become her clients. She said she sees the classes as a way for her to give back to the community.

"I usually have the same type of format because I offer a lot of information," she said.

Because attendees bring with them their own questions, she said that each class is different.

"This month, we are talking about incapacity and what happens when you become incapacitated," she said.

According to state statutes, an incapacitated person is someone age 18 or older who is impaired for a number of reasons, including mental illness, mental retardation or developmental disability, physical illness or disability, drug or alcohol dependency, or a similar cause, and whose ability to receive and evaluate information effectively or to make and to communicate responsible decision is impaired.

In the class, Guziar asks difficult questions to help folks plan for future possibilities.

"What happens if you get into a car accident? Who can make decisions for you? Who can file on your behalf? What are the options? What is power of attorney? Why should you have one?" she asked.

In other classes, Guziar talks about what happens after death, especially for the families of those who have no estate planning, or no will.

"We talk about different documents, and how they work," she said.

For more information, those interested can find out more information at thewellok.org/.