Authors

  • John Ma

    Owner and Founder, Wills and Trusts Guide Lives in: Portland, Oregon John Ma is the owner and founder of Wills and Trusts Guide. He created the site to help people better understand estate planning without getting lost in confusing legal language. His mission is to make information about wills, trusts, probate, executors, guardianship, beneficiaries, and…

  • Terry Shaw

    Writer, Wills and Trusts Guide Lives in: Asheville, North Carolina Terry Shaw is a writer at Wills and Trusts Guide with a background in journalism, small business reporting, and real estate education. Terry writes about estate planning topics that affect property owners, business owners, and families with more complex assets. Terry has spent years explaining…

  • Shawn Thame

    Writer, Wills and Trusts Guide Lives in: Minneapolis, Minnesota Shawn Thame is a writer at Wills and Trusts Guide with a background in legal research, nonprofit administration, and community education. Shawn focuses on making estate planning information accessible to people who may be creating a will or trust for the first time. Shawn’s work often…

  • Cynthia Chow

    Writer, Wills and Trusts Guide Lives in: Seattle, Washington Cynthia Chow is a writer at Wills and Trusts Guide with a background in elder care advocacy, family caregiving, and public service communications. She writes about estate planning from the perspective of families preparing for aging, incapacity, long-term care, and difficult conversations between generations. Cynthia has…

  • Jason Wolkaski

    Writer, Wills and Trusts Guide Lives in: Denver, Colorado Jason Wolkaski is a writer at Wills and Trusts Guide with a background in personal finance, insurance education, and consumer decision-making. He focuses on helping readers understand how estate planning fits into a broader financial plan, including beneficiary designations, life insurance, retirement accounts, probate costs, and…

  • Peter Thornbull

    Editor, Wills and Trusts Guide Lives in: Boston, Massachusetts Peter Thornbull is an editor at Wills and Trusts Guide, where he helps shape clear, accurate, and practical estate planning content for readers who want to better understand wills, trusts, probate, executors, beneficiaries, guardianship, and related planning topics. Peter has a background in editorial management, legal…