Michelle Wilson, Wilson Legal, on Estate Planning, Love Legacy Letters, and Why DIY Wills Fail (North Fulton Business Radio, Episode 937)
On this episode of North Fulton Business Radio, host John Ray welcomes Michelle Wilson, Owner and Founder of Wilson Legal. Since establishing her firm in 2008, Michelle has assisted families in intentionally planning their legacy instead of relying on chance.
Michelle shares the pivotal case early in her career that drove her to estate planning. A judge’s decision in a life insurance dispute, despite Michelle being right on the facts and the law, destroyed her sense of justice in probate court. That experience convinced her that helping people plan proactively was the only way to protect families from leaving their futures to the mercy of the courts.
The conversation explores Michelle’s “love legacy” concept, born from her own health crisis when she learned she carried genetic markers for breast and ovarian cancer. Before surgery, she wrote letters to her daughter explaining what she believed about life’s big questions. These letters became a template for clients to share the “why” behind their planning decisions, preventing family insecurity and assumptions from filling the void after death. Michelle explains why estate complexity comes from relationships rather than assets, why online legal forms create dangerous false security, and why families should review their plans every three years instead of treating estate planning as a once-in-a-lifetime event.
John Ray is the host of North Fulton Business Radio. The show is produced by John Ray and North Fulton Business Radio, LLC, an affiliate of Business RadioX®, and is recorded inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta.
Key Takeaways from This Episode
- A pivotal life insurance case where the judge ignored the facts and law convinced Michelle that proactive estate planning beats leaving families to navigate probate court
- Love legacy letters explain the “why” behind planning decisions and create warm memories rather than letting family insecurity and assumptions define relationships after death
- Estate planning complexity stems from relationships, not just assets, and families benefit from reviewing plans every three years as circumstances change
- Online legal forms like LegalZoom don’t back up their own documents as valid legal instruments and often create expensive problems that cost families tens of thousands to fix
Topics Discussed in this Episode
00:20 John Ray introduces the show and guest Michelle Wilson
02:00 Michelle Wilson introduces Wilson Legal and helping families plan intentionally
03:00 The pivotal life insurance case that drove Michelle to focus on estate planning
06:00 Why intentionality must be paired with action in estate planning
08:00 The stepfather whose verbal promise to stepchildren failed without proper documentation
09:30 Michelle’s love legacy concept and how her health scare inspired letters to her daughter
13:00 How love legacy letters prevent assumptions and insecurity from defining family relationships
16:00 Why clients don’t need to understand every technical detail to make good decisions
19:00 The problems with LegalZoom and online legal forms that don’t back up their own products
21:00 Georgia’s line of sight rule for signing wills and common mistakes people make
23:00 Why reviewing estate plans every three years creates healthier planning habits
24:00 The Colgate toothpaste pioneer story and creating healthy estate planning habits
25:00 The cost of fixing DIY mistakes versus working with an attorney from the start
26:00 The Schwinn bicycle and Corvette tire analogies on value versus price
28:00 The sandwich generation and when families typically seek estate planning help
31:00 Success stories from families who’ve worked with Wilson Legal across multiple generations
Michelle Wilson, Owner and Founder
After founding Wilson Legal PC in 2008 in a room above her parents’ garage, Michelle Wilson has been changing the way families and individuals plan by creating planning tools and teaching clients how to use the tools, which are a part of their estate plan. Her educational and practical approach to estate planning leaves clients empowered to deploy the tools in their planning toolbox to ensure the legacy they leave is intentional and by design, and not an accidental one.
After discovering that she carried the gene for breast and ovarian cancers, she wrote a book of letters to her daughter, Z, so that Z would know what she believed about big things in life in case she did not wake up after surgery. This heart message was published in May of 2023 as an example for others to read, borrow from and use as inspiration to write their own love legacy for their loved ones. Michelle believes that this love legacy, written or recorded, explains the “why” of a plan and helps to prevent conflict after loss.
Michelle has been a member of the South Forsyth Rotary Club since 2015 and leads her firm and her life by the same 4-way test, choosing service above self. At Wilson Legal, they only allow you to hire the firm if it makes sense for you to do so. Michelle and her team are also active in the local community and actively support many local nonprofits, including the Bald Ridge Boys Lodge, Jesse’s House, Family Promise, the United Methodist Church Food Bank, Keystone Village and many others.
Michelle and her team have always sought the best next step for anyone entering or calling their office, serving as trusted advisors and sources of comfort in times of stress and grief for Georgians for the past 18 years. If you know someone looking for support in a time of loss or direction and clarity on the best plan to ensure things go smoothly for their loved ones, send them to Wilson Legal for a consult or one of the free community workshops available each month in person or online.
Wilson Legal, PC
Created in 2008, Wilson Legal, PC has been a source of support and peace of mind for Georgians facing the incapacity or loss of a loved one or looking for a way to make sure things go smoothly after they pass away. The team at Wilson Legal offers solutions that encompass the necessary tools, education on how to use those tools, and assistance in implementing them.
Some of the tools they create and use for their clients are revocable trusts, wills, asset protection trusts for Medicaid avoidance, irrevocable trusts for high-net-worth individuals, LLC formation; and business succession.
Each family or individual is unique in that no situation is exactly the same as another. At Wilson Legal, plans are drafted to fit the unique needs and desires of the client and then put to work to achieve the desired result. In other words, they don’t just sign a trust; they teach clients how to use the Certificate of Trust, and they walk to the bank with their clients and help them add the trust as their Pay-On-Death Beneficiary. This hands-on approach significantly increases the likelihood of a client’s family avoiding the disappointment of an unfunded plan and an unintentional legacy.
Wilson Legal loves hearing from clients who have had a parent or family member who used a plan which was well organized and want to set up the same plan for their family. Wilson Legal is truly where planning meets peace of mind.
Renasant Bank supports North Fulton Business Radio
Renasant Bank has humble roots, having started in 1904 as a $100,000 bank located in a Lee County, Mississippi, bakery. Since then, Renasant has grown into one of the Southeast’s strongest financial institutions, boasting over $26 billion in assets and more than 280 offices offering banking, lending, wealth management, and financial services throughout the region. All of Renasant’s success stems from the commitment of each banker to invest in the communities they serve, which in turn helps them better understand the people they serve. At Renasant Bank, their banking professionals understand you because they work and live alongside you every day.
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Beyond Computer Solutions supports North Fulton Business Radio
Whether you’re a law firm, medical practice, or manufacturer, there’s one headline you don’t want to make: “Local Business Pays Thousands in Ransom After Cyberattack.” That’s where Beyond Computer Solutions comes in. They help organizations like yours stay out of the news and in business with managed IT and cybersecurity services designed for industries where compliance and reputation matter most.
Whether they serve as your complete IT department or simply support your internal team, they are well-versed in HIPAA, secure document access, written security policies, and other essential aspects that ensure your safety and well-being. Best of all, it starts with a complimentary security assessment.
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About North Fulton Business Radio and host John Ray
With over 900 episodes and having featured over 1,400 guests, North Fulton Business Radio is the longest-running podcast in the North Fulton area, covering business in our community like no one else. We are the undisputed “Voice of Business” in North Fulton!
The show invites a diverse range of business, non-profit, and community leaders to share their significant contributions to their respective markets, communities, and professions. There is no discrimination based on company size, and there is never any “pay to play.” North Fulton Business Radio supports and celebrates businesses by sharing positive stories that traditional media ignore. Some media lean left. Some media lean right. We lean business.
John Ray is the host of North Fulton Business Radio. John and the team at North Fulton Business Radio, LLC, an affiliate of Business RadioX®, produce the show, which is recorded inside Renasant Bank in Alpharetta.
The studio is located at 275 South Main Street, Alpharetta, GA 30009.
You can find the entire archive of shows by following this link. The show is accessible on all major podcast apps, such as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google, Amazon, iHeart Radio, and many others.
John Ray also operates his own business advisory practice. John’s services include advising solopreneurs and small professional services firms on their value, their positioning and business development, and their pricing. His clients are professionals who are selling their expertise, such as consultants, coaches, attorneys, CPAs, accountants, bookkeepers, marketing professionals, and other professional services practitioners.
John is the author of the five-star-rated book The Generosity Mindset: A Journey to Business Success by Raising Your Confidence, Value, and Prices, praised by readers for its practical insights on raising confidence, value, and prices.
