Martinis & Mortality: Why We Throw an Estate Planning Party
Martinis & Mortality: Why We Throw An Estate Planning Party
Martinis & Mortality is the BKFi event where you show up, have a drink, and leave with your estate plan signed, witnessed, and notarized. Once a year, we gather clients, friends, and curious people at a venue in Brooklyn, put notaries and witnesses in the room, and give everyone a reason to finally finish the paperwork that has been sitting in a Google Drive folder for years. This post is the story of how it started and why we keep doing it.
How It Started
Our first Martinis & Mortality took place in the fall of 2025, hosted by AJ Ayers, John Owens, and Ed Zolotarev as part of BKFi's spooky season kickoff. We described it as part notary event, part happy hour, and we meant that literally: the invitation promised cocktails and a notary stamp in equal measure. The ghosts on the invitation were deliberate. Estate planning is the topic most people would rather avoid, so we figured we should at least make it fun to face.
In 2026, we brought it back for a second year on Tuesday, September 22, from 5 to 8 PM ET. The tagline stayed the same: get your estate plan executed by a notary. That word is in red on the graphic because it is the whole point. Drafting a plan is the easy part. Getting it signed correctly is where almost everyone stalls.
The Problem We Noticed
Again and again, we met clients who had done the responsible thing and used an online will service. They had a draft, sometimes a very nice one, with their kids' names spelled correctly and a guardian chosen. And then it sat there, unsigned, for years.
The reason is boring and completely human. A will generally has to be signed in front of witnesses, and related documents like a power of attorney or health care proxy often call for a notary as well. The specific rules vary by state, but the common thread is that other people have to be physically present at the right moment, with the right ID and the right pens. Online tools are great at producing documents. They cannot produce a notary and two witnesses at 7 PM on a Tuesday. So the document stays a draft, and a draft does very little for your family if something happens to you.
If the missing ingredient was people with stamps, we could provide the people with stamps.
We kept hearing some version of "I just need to find a notary," and we realized the fix was logistical.
Why We Make It A Party
We could have hosted a quiet signing day under fluorescent lights with a sign-in sheet, and some people would have come. Instead, we added cocktails, a good room, and a date on the calendar, because what actually gets people to finish an estate plan is momentum and a little social pressure. When you are sitting next to a friend who is also signing their documents, the task feels shared and a lot less grim. People also tend to bring a spouse or partner, which matters, because estate planning goes better when both people are in the room making decisions together.
What Happens On The Night
Whether your documents came from an online service, an attorney, or a template you have been meaning to deal with, here is how the evening works.
Arrive With Your Drafts
Bring your drafted documents and a valid ID. Our planners are around to answer questions about who should be named where.
Sign With Notaries And Witnesses
Notaries and witnesses are on hand to get everything signed properly, with drinks in hand and a light mood.
Leave With Executed Documents
You walk out with signed documents. Afterward, send a scan to your BKFi planner so we can file them with the rest of your plan.
Who It Is For
An Unfinished Draft
You have documents sitting in a folder that never got signed.
Never Started
You know you need a plan and want a low-pressure place to begin.
A Big Life Change
A move, a marriage, a new baby, or a shift in finances means your documents need a refresh.
If you hold equity compensation or expect a liquidity event, getting your documents in order matters even more, since the assets involved tend to be larger and more complicated than people expect.
Clients get first access to RSVPs, and we open remaining spots to friends of the firm.
This post is general education and not legal advice. Execution requirements for wills and related documents vary by state, so confirm the rules that apply to you with an estate planning attorney.