The Estate Planning Center of Wisconsin

Estate Planning... For What Means Most to You!

Fully funded.

A trust on paper. The assets in it.
See the difference in the firm’s own comparison sheet.

Call (608) 829-2525 The intake form

Free initial consultation. Mon-Fri 8:00-5:00.
Evening and weekend appointments by request.

Will, Trust or Nothing

Slide it to funded. Choose a square to compare.

Trust, fully funded

The firm's published estate planning comparison. Choose one of five stations to highlight its answers.
Your questionsDo nothingSimple willComplex willWill with testamentary trustTrust, some fundingTrust, fully funded
Who decides who gets what?Wisconsin Statutes and probate court.MeMeMeMe
Will there be a probate?Yes, if estate exceeds $50,000.YesYesYes, if unfunded assets are subject to probate.No
Can my estate be kept private? I don’t want people to know what I have and who it’s going to.No. Probate is public.No. Probate is public.No. Probate is public.Yes, to the extent that no probate is required.Yes
Can I protect my beneficiaries from their creditors, bankruptcy, or divorce judgments taking away their inheritance?NoNoYes, through the testamentary trust.YesYes
Can I give money to my beneficiaries at specific times, such as when they reach a certain age or graduate from college?NoNoYes, through the testamentary trust.YesYes
Can I take full advantage of the estate tax credit, passing assets to my beneficiaries estate tax free?NoNoYes, through the testamentary trust.YesYes
Can I ask an institution, such as a bank or trust company, to manage my assets for the benefit of my beneficiaries?NoNoYes, through the testamentary trust.YesYes
How long will it take for my beneficiaries to receive their inheritance?As long as the probate period, about eleven months on average in Wisconsin.As long as the probate period, about eleven months on average in Wisconsin.As long as the probate period, about eleven months on average in Wisconsin.For those assets which are funded, immediately. Unfunded assets may require probate.Immediately, if that’s what you want.
Answers from Horn & Johnsen’s published comparison sheet.Read the original PDF ↗

Now, the assets.

Through probate 0 of 8

In the trust
Still in your name

The sample tray is empty.

Illustrative sample assets. A visual explanation of funding, not instructions for titling any particular asset.

The difference, illustrated

A trust is not a plan until the assets are titled to it. That is the difference between the fourth column and the fifth.

Illustrative stationery study. Generated imagery.

Ten things people
come here for.

Estate Planning... For What Means Most to You!

Horn & Johnsen SC · Madison, Wisconsin · Since 1991

01

Estate Planning

Estate plans are as distinct as your family.

02

Wills

However, without a will, Wisconsin’s intestacy laws govern who inherits someone’s possessions, including real estate, bank and investment accounts, and other possessions.

03

Trusts

A well-drawn living trust safeguards property if the grantor becomes incapacitated, avoiding guardianship issues and the associated costs.

04

Probate

Probate is the process of validating a will and retitling property after a person dies.

05

Guardianship

Guardianship, or Living Probate, is an essential legal process allowing one person (the guardian) to make decisions for someone who has become mentally or physically incapacitated (the ward).

06

Medicaid asset protection

A Medicaid Asset Protection Trust could be your best solution for future nursing home costs.

07

Business Law

One of the most important tasks is to decide on a business structure.

08

Real Estate

A home is a major financial investment that should not be entered into without legal advice.

09

LGBTQ

Surviving partners shouldn’t have to answer questions about their personal relationship while they are grieving.

10

Special Needs

The Special Needs Trust holds any assets that could affect a person’s ability to obtain government benefits.

Practice descriptions drawn from the firm’s own pages. Each entry opens its official page.

“John's dedication shows. He meets the challenges with quality. He has keen insight into Developing legal issues.”
Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Ann Walsh Bradley
As quoted on John Horn’s biography

The two of them.

John Horn, attorney and co-founder of Horn & Johnsen SC

John Horn

Attorney · Shareholder · Co-founder

Madison raised. UW-Madison, 1986. UW Law, 1991. Over 30 years at the Wisconsin Bar, including service as a judicial court commissioner before private practice.

  • Teaches continuing legal education for the State Bar of Wisconsin and WealthCounsel.
  • His biography records lectures at the AAII national convention every year since .

“In national peer rankings, I place at the top 1.5 percent of estate planning attorneys.”John Horn, in his own biography

Read John’s biography
Dera L. Johnsen-Tracy, attorney and co-founder of Horn & Johnsen SC

Dera L. Johnsen-Tracy

Attorney · Shareholder · Co-founder

Marquette University Law School, 2008. Before law school, fourteen years as a paralegal in Texas and Wisconsin.

  • · Super Lawyers Wisconsin Rising Stars.
  • · Individual Attorney Pro Bono Award, Dane County Bar Association.
  • · Pro Bono Attorney of the Year, State Bar of Wisconsin.
  • · ATHENA Award nominee.
Read Dera’s biography

What they hand you.

View and print our educational forms below.

Nine handouts · The firm’s own PDFs

Will, Trust, or Nothing/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Will-Trust-or-Nothing.pdfPDFAvoid the Top Ten Mistakes Made with Beneficiary Designations/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/hjbrochureweb-1.pdfPDFEssential Estate Planning Documents/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Essential-Estate-Planning-Documents_2016.pdfPDFKey Information Your Loved Ones Should Know/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Key-Advisors.pdfPDFDigital Property Dispositions/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Digital-Property-Dispositions.pdfPDFBeneficiary-Directed Trusts/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/AAII-Journal_Oct-2018_Financial-Planning_Beneficiary-Directed-Trusts.pdfPDFPlanning Essentials for Small and Modest Estates/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Planning-Essentials-for-Small-and-Modest-Estates.pdfPDFEstate Planning for People with Special Needs/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Estate-Planning-for-People-with-Special-Needs-1.pdfPDFPersonal Information Questionnaire/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Personal-Information-Questionnaire-2019.pdfPDF

They teach
in public.

From a Madison library to the AAII national convention. A few entries from the firm’s published teaching record.

Archive, not an upcoming schedule.
Read the original event listings ↗

Estate Planning Basics

Dera L. Johnsen-Tracy. Meadowridge Library, Community Rooms A and B.

Children Come First Conference

31st annual conference. Dera L. Johnsen-Tracy, featured speaker. Kalahari Resort and Conference Center, Wisconsin Dells.

Every year since 2015, per John’s biography

AAII national convention

John Horn and his law partner, selected to lecture.

Undated biography entries · Source read October 31, 2026

Dera, on the radio

Ginger Martin’s show at Magic 98 and WJJO’s Hawke’s Radiothon for the Veterans. Her biography gives no appearance dates.

What clients wrote.

Published on the firm’s own site.
Attributions appear as printed.

“Your friendly, thorough and professional manner was greatly appreciated when working with you. And now, your firm's stature only grows as we continue to benefit from your advice and preparations on our family's behalf. Thanks again, and again, for the huge difference you made for my family!”
S.H.
“Trusts do not seem so scary now after you explained it so well to us!”
T.E.
“Dera, you and Kayleigh did a marvelous job on our Living Trust and related documents. I am very pleased and continue to be very impressed with you and your staff.”
P.B.
“As an estate planning attorney Dera's attention to details makes it so that she never misses anything. Nothing gets by her... She offers wonderful services like seminars to help people understand the basics of trusts and wills.”
R.M.

Horn & Johnsen SC

For what means
most to you.

8446 Excelsior Drive, Suite 102
Madison, WI 53717
(608) 829-2525

Fax (608) 829-2527

info2016@hornjohnsen.com
Find the Madison office

Appointment locations

  • Madison
  • Waukesha
  • Baraboo
  • Brookfield
  • Sauk City
  • Janesville

Mon-Fri 8:00-5:00

Evening and weekend appointments available by request.

A no cost, no obligation consultation.

The firm’s contact page
Concept redesign by Tanner Preserve Design. Not the official site. Visit the real one: http://www.hornjohnsen.com/