Stephanie Martinez is the Founding Member of The Estate Planner LLC, a law firm focused on estate planning, wills and trusts, powers of attorney, asset protection, and helping families plan for peace of mind. Estate planning requires a personal relationship between her and her clients, and she loves making those important connections and breaking down the process for each person she works with. “Estate planning can sound very complex,” Stephanie says, “and there are many complex elements, but one of the things that I do well is putting all the elements into a language that is easy to understand. I make people comfortable where they are by honoring who they are.” Her driving passion and her “why” behind what she does, is her love of working with families and people. She loves hearing her clients say what a relief it is to have their estate plan finished.
The everyday elements of her job vary, ranging from meeting with clients and drafting estate plans, to meeting with financial advisors and other financial professionals. In conjunction with her legal work, she speaks on estate planning, and has recently begun speaking about crypto assets, educating people on what they are and specifically how they can be passed on and protected in the event of a disability and after death. Having worked as a corporate lawyer in Manhattan and Silicon Valley in the late 90s and early 00s, she believes crypto-assets and the Blockchain may be as impactful someday as the internet and e-commerce.
Stephanie is the Treasurer on the Executive board for Laumeier Sculpture Park and serves as the Vice President of the Saint Louis Chapter of Financial Service Professionals. She is also an author in the best-selling anthology, Owning Your GRIT: 40 Women’s Stories of Harnessing the Power of Growth, Resilience, Intention, and Tenacity.
Stephanie has three boys in their late teens and early twenties and is currently spending lots of time on the lacrosse field watching her two youngest play. She has a little black pug named Gizmo who, in her words, is a total goofball. One of her favorite hobbies, aside from hiking, skiing or any other outdoor activity, is Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, where she earned her purple belt and is a Master Worlds and 2x Pan American Champion. It keeps her active, fit, and is an ongoing lesson in patience, self-defense, and perseverance.
Stephanie’s Recommendation: Take a walk in Laumeier sculpture park, but don’t stay on the main paths—get out and take a walk in the paths in the woods.