A Calling, Not Just a Career
Why I Chose This Path
As an Estate planner, I’ve witnessed how a single document can bring clarity, prevent conflict, and offer dignity during the most difficult moments. But I didn’t start this path as a legal professional, I started as a listener, a volunteer, a daughter.
Eye Opening Experiences
The Issue
While volunteering with seniors, I met Ms. Lim. Her mother was battling severe autoimmune diseases — lupus and rheumatoid arthritis, requiring over $8,000 a month in treatments. There was no Will in place. All assets were solely under her mother’s name, and the siblings were already arguing about who should pay what. In Ms. Lim’s words:
“My mother's medical bills are stressing me out…”
What I Did
I sat down with Ms. Lim and:
- Explained how dying without a Will could freeze all access to funds.
- Arranged a bedside Will signing within days, with a doctor certifying her mother’s mental capacity.
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Included a custom clause to allow funds to be released quickly for medical debt repayment.
Her mother passed away 9 months later
- Estate was released in 3 weeks, not 6+ months
- Medical bills were paid without conflict
Ms. Lim told me: “That Will gave us one less nightmare during our grief.”
What I learned:
Families under extreme medical and emotional stress are often the least prepared — and the ones who need proper planning the most.
That experience changed me.
Since then, I’ve been offering pro bono Wills to low-income families facing end-of-life care — because peace of mind should never be a privilege.
Ms. Tan was 35 and financially secure with $600,000 in savings — but no dependents. She dismissed my advice three times over two years.
Until one question stopped her cold:
“If something happens tomorrow, would you want your niece — the one who visits you weekly — to inherit your savings? Or should it be divided equally among nine siblings?”
She realized what she truly wanted — and we drafted a Will giving everything to her niece.
What happened next shook me:
- A dedcade later, Ms tan passed away suddently adter a logn struggle with depression
- Her siblings challenged the Will, claiming she was mentally unfit
Therefore, as her Will Drafter, I
- Provided testimony and detailed notes showing her full mentla capacity.
- Had documented everything: dates, reasoning, intentions.
- In the end, the court managed to upheld her wishes.
What I learned:
Wills are especially important for single adults, because intestacy rarely relfects their actual relationships and mental illness does not erase the decisions made during healthy, sound-minded moments