Outsourced Estate Planning Signing Experience as a Service (EPEaaS), Remote Hire I-9 Verification Nationwide, Kenyan, Superconnector, Marathoner, Provisor, Antiracist, Polyglot 💪🏾

The Best Notary does 3 things for estate planning firms who are serious about outsourcing, delegation and growing their firms profitably. 

1. Increase lead flow 10X by expanding reach statewide through TBN's network of trusted notaries in all 50 states.

2. Increase client satisfaction 10X by bringing the signing meeting to clients' homes or through video signings.

3. Quadrupling the firm's disposable time by taking over routine administrative tasks and the burden of hiring, training and retaining staff.

I grew up in Kenya then moved to Michigan for college when I was 19. I hired my first employee in 2010 and ran my first full marathon in 2016. After completing that race in 5 hours and 25 minutes, I realized that I can accomplish whatever I put my mind to no matter what obstacles arise.
 
I work hard to see the goodness and kindness in everyone before I notice challenges and opportunities for growth. I do my best to speak from the heart at all times and to listen closely and acknowledge what is being said before I respond. 

My ultimate vision is to help build a world where instead of competing for limited resources, we're all racing to share infinite abundance with others.

For fun I run, swim, meditate, play the piano, practice French, juggle and challenge everyone I meet to answer the question "Who am I?" conclusively.

Estate planning attorneys face increasing demands from clients who expect convenience, efficiency, and error-free execution of their most important documents. But outdated, fragmented signing processes can lead to delays, errors, and frustrated clients—putting their firm’s reputation and efficiency at risk.

We help attorneys eliminate the headaches above by providing seamless at-home in-person and video-based Remote Online Notarization (RON).

Attorneys need a partner they can trust. We’ve built strong relationships with the top 3% of notaries nationwide—professionals we’ve personally vetted and worked with to ensure reliability, professionalism, and attention to detail.

Our clients keep coming renewing because they trust our proven reliability, deep industry expertise, and commitment to long-term success.

Our mission is to empower estate planning firms serve more (and diverse) families in-person and remotely as we build an AI-powered, freemium notarization and witness on-demand platform to expand access to legacy planning for a billion families and help bridge the global wealth divide.

I'm looking forward to working with you to help leave this world better than we found it.

Eli A.

Gotta look fresh as The Best Notary #001 at the San Francisco Estate Planning Council later this evening!

Don’t tell Max the cat that I ahem “borrowed” his bowtie Stephanie Rosso, PhD ! 🤣 🐈‍⬛ 

#sfepc #Represent

Eli Angote

We're bridging the global wealth divide with our managed back office for estate planning attorneys. Clients leverage our platform to serve 10x more families statewide remotely. Polyglot, Kenyan, Marathoner, Piano 🎹 💪🏾

No alternative text description for this image

Estate planning has gone 100% digital and you could even say 1000% remote by eliminating the age-old requirement that wills need to have "wet" (ink-signed) signatures. 

Electronic wills, remote witnesses, and online notarization are already live in Arizona, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Nevada, Colorado, Washington DC, Idaho, Minnesota, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Utah, Washington State, New Jersey, the US Virgin Islands, and Missouri. 

Yet most firms still force clients to drive in, rearrange work, or leave care facilities just to sign paper.
​
In this video, Eli Angote from The Best Notary shows how growth-focused estate planning firms are:

👉 Letting clients sign from home, hospitals, care facilities and even from boats with a stable internet connection.

👉Delegating the “last mile” (witnesses, notarization, tech, logistics) so attorneys can focus on counsel, not scheduling chaos.
​
👉Using a qualified electronic will custodian in Florida to meet validity requirements and protect long-term client interests.
​
👉If your firm serves busy professionals, caregivers, or mobility-limited clients, remote and electronic signings are no longer a nice-to-have but have become a competitive necessity.

👉 Estate planning and elder law attorneys:

Test drive a few in-person or electronic will signings with us and see for yourself:

✅ Less scheduling friction

✅Shorter signing appointments

✅ Noticeably happier clients and team

Visit our site to schedule a 15‑minute fit call. https://thebestnotary.net

Also please don't forget to subscribe to our YouTube Channel for the latest developments: https://lnkd.in/gtZSbVPZ

As we navigate these difficult times barely a week into the new year, I hope we can all find compassion for those who made choices without full understanding of what was was going to follow.

We’ve all been there at some point in our lives.

My goal for 2026 is to move slower and with more intention than I ever have.

What got me here might have been a variation of moving fast and breaking things like the tech bros of Silicon Valley but now I’m looking forward to succeeding slowly like Hildy Gottlieb likes to say.

My new motto is to “Deliberate deeply so we can scale sustainably”.

I’d also like to make sure that as many people around me are enjoying a sizable slice of that upside as possible.

What do you plan on doing differently this year?

#MayaAngelou #DeliberateDeeply #ScaleSustainably

Just in time for Martin Luther King Jr Day, HBO’s Seen and Heard arrives with intention and clarity.

This powerful 2-part documentary centers Black voices speaking for themselves. Fully present and human. I watched in two days and discovered so many amazing black-produced shows that I'll have to go back and watch. 

It reflects a truth long supported by history and research. Black brilliance persists across generations, even within systems that constrain opportunity.

Scholars and institutions such as the National Archives and the Brookings Institution document how policies in housing, education, lending, and criminal justice have shaped unequal outcomes in the United States.

What remains undeniable is the creativity, resilience, and leadership that continue to emerge regardless.

Dr Martin Luther King Jr emphasized structural injustice as a defining challenge of democracy. His work consistently called attention to systems that limit freedom rather than individual shortcomings.

Seen and Heard stands in that lineage. It affirms presence without explanation. It honors lived experience without translation.

Black excellence is steady, communal and enduring. 

I'm super proud to be doing my part to breaking down the barriers that have systematically kept black and brown families from building generational wealth. 

#BlackExcellenceMatters #Legacy

Justin Miller’s insights about building and retaining generational wealth for families of all sizes and complexity levels are unparalleled. 

In the end, as we we all eventually find out, success comes down to how we respond to, accept and manage our differences as Bruce Eckfeldt, Amy Birks and I discussed earlier today.

Join us at the Peninsula Estate Planning Council next month to gain some insights into this important topic and to connect with some of the best trusted advisors in the Bay Area! 

Thanks Zilsha Kaye Meting for your amazing work distilling Justin’s passion and enthusiasm into a two minute teaser clip!

#LegacyMatters #FamilyDynamics #SuccessionVibes

View company: Peninsula Estate Planning Council

Estate-planning professionals today know that helping families preserve wealth goes beyond documents — it’s about preparing the family for the wealth, ensuring values are transferred alongside assets, and building a legacy that truly lasts. 

At our upcoming Peninsula Estate Planning Council live event, Secrets of Successful Families: Creating a Lasting Legacy with Justin Miller — Partner and National Director of Wealth Planning at Evercore Wealth Management — will share practical strategies for identifying the characteristics of families who successfully pass on both wealth and values to future generations. 

This session will explore:

• How to help families avoid the “shirtsleeves to shirtsleeves” cycle and build resilience across generations 
 • Practical planning techniques that align financial strategies with family values 
 • Real-world insights for estate planners advising high-net-worth clients and their families 

📍 Location
 San Mateo Elks Lodge
 229 W. 20th Avenue
 San Mateo, CA 

🗓 Date & Time
 February 3, 2026
 5:00–6:00 pm — Registration & Networking Wine Reception
 6:00–7:30 pm — Association Business & Presentation 

🎤 Speaker
 Justin Miller — Evercore Wealth Management

Whether you advise families, fiduciaries, or business owners, this discussion will equip you with tools to think beyond traditional estate planning and help clients create meaningful, intergenerational legacies. 

👉 Register today: https://lnkd.in/gV3aRjVB

A special thank-you to the incredible Peninsula Estate Planning Council Board, whose dedication makes these high-value educational events possible:

President: Natalie Oh
 Vice President: Rachel Ni 倪正怡
 Secretary: Karishma Patel
 Treasurer: Carol Gosho
 Immediate Past President: Roxanne T. Jen
 Special Events Chair: Pablo O'Brien
 Membership Chair: Michael T. Carney
 Facilities Chair: Rachel Ni 倪正怡
 Finance Chair: Carol Gosho
 Social Media Chair: Eli Angote
 Sponsorship & Speaker Committee: Roxanne T. Jen
 Speaker Committee: Rashida Lilani, CFP®, CPWA®
 Membership Committee: Doug Dixon, Melissa Chung
 Finance Committee: Polly Neumann
 Special Events Committee: Kathy Thielke Chen
 Colleen McAvoy Award Committee Chair & Speaker Committee: Nazar Ghosseiri

#PEPC #EstatePlanning #FamilyLegacy #WealthTransfer #ProfessionalDevelopment

🚀 How Estate Planning & Probate Attorneys Can Navigate the Harmless Error Doctrine in a Digital World

The way wills are executed, challenged, and upheld is evolving and digital technology is at the center of the change.

In this practical session, we’ll break down:

• The evolution from strict compliance to substantial compliance and the harmless error doctrinal framework
 • How courts balance the risk of invalidating genuine testamentary intent when formalities fall short
 • The growing role of electronic wills and the Uniform Electronic Wills Act
 • Real-world implications of digital records, texts, and electronic evidence in probate analysis

👉 Join us to gain clarity, confidence, and actionable strategies to advise clients on will execution risks and opportunities, especially as digital evidence becomes more central in estate disputes.

🎙 Featuring Scott Schomer

 Estate Planning Attorney, Certified Specialist in Estate Planning, Trust & Probate Law, adjunct professor, and Founder at Schomer Estate & Wealth Advisors. Scott brings deep probate insight and practical perspectives on emerging issues you’ll face with modern testamentary documents.

✨ If you want to stay ahead of how digital realities are reshaping wills and probate to better serve your clients amid these shifts, this session is for you.

 👉 RSVP here: https://luma.com/932jwzwh

The first time you see the Rakotzbrücke as I did when Windows served it up as a screensaver today, it feels almost impossible. 

The stone arc forms a near perfect circle with its reflection, giving the impression of something timeless, balanced, and almost supernatural. 

It is often called the Devils Bridge, not because of any real curse, but because people struggle to believe that something so elegant could stand without hidden magic. That reaction says more about us than it does about the bridge.

In reality, the bridge was built through a temporary act of trust. Wooden supports were erected first, unseen once construction was complete. Stone after stone was placed carefully on top until the keystone locked everything into place. 

Only then were the supports removed, leaving behind a structure that looks self sufficient, even though its existence depended entirely on something temporary that no longer remains. What feels permanent is actually the result of timing, precision, and forces quietly working together.

Our lives operate the same way. We move through our days with a false sense of stability, assuming that tomorrow will arrive because it always has. 

Psychologists sometimes describe this as the illusion of knowledge, the belief that because things have held so far, they will continue to hold. That belief is comforting, but it can also numb us to reality. Every breath feels guaranteed until it is not. Every crossing feels safe until conditions change. I think we can all agree that things are shifting in the US these days. 

 When we accept that stability is not promised, how we choose to live becomes more urgent. 

Kindness stops being optional. Empathy stops being abstract. Effort stops being something we postpone until later. If today is not guaranteed, then how we treat people today matters more than any future plan.

This is especially true when it comes to inequality. 

Bridges fail when weight is unevenly distributed and ignored. Societies fracture the same way. Living with awareness means noticing who is being asked to carry more than their share and choosing to work harder to rebalance the load.

Legacy is not permanence. Legacy is behavior under uncertainty. It is how we show up, how we care, and how intentionally we live while the structure still stands.

#LegacyPlanning #TheWisdomOfImpermanence

Brittany L. Hernandez and her team at Gavel are at the bleeding edge of Legal Tech so please grab your digital seat for an amazing lunch and learn tomorrow!

#legalTech

Lawyer | Sales Associate @ Gavel | Founder @ variabl_academy

Join me and Eli Angote of The Best Notary TOMORROW (Jan 7th) @ 12pm PT / 3pm ET for this free masterclass on "How #EstatePlanning Attorneys Use AI In Law" 👉 https://luma.com/wgsmme9w

I'll be sharing my 6 essential AI tips as we charge ahead into 2026 and how Gavel's automation suite of Workflows (rules-based document automation) and Exec (AI redlining, review, and negotiation directly in Microsoft Word) is empowering attorneys to cut drafting/review time and scale their practices.

See you tomorrow! 🤸‍♀️

#law #legaltech #automation #ai #estateplanning

Death tech is here to stay and we're glad to play a role in it!

Supporting organizational change, leadership development, social justice and community empowerment

Thank you, Niki Weiss, Digital Thanatologist, I am so honored to be included in this incredible list of women, leaders and innovators! 

I was so lucky and honored to have met some of the people on this list and now I am excited to meet the rest! 💜🎉🚀💪🥳

We need to normalize talking about death, preparing for that time, taking care of caretakers, and living our lives with intention and integrity.  

#deathtech #estateplanning

Alfredo Mathew III and his incredible team at ESO Ventures helped us stand up the platform that is helping us transform how legacy planning takes shape across the US.

Their capital infusion allowed us to bring on top tier AI-powered devs, invest in valuable product research, spin off our first SaaS tool and attend the industry conferences that helped us land partnerships with WealthCounsel, LLC and Clio. 

We can't wait to see what that foundation will take us in 2026 and beyond. 

Check out the role they're hiring for below and rest assured you'll be in great company!

Revenue is the oxygen of any organization.

That was my role during ESO Ventures’ startup phase from 2020 through early 2024; building partnerships, closing deals, and helping create an onramp to business ownership across California.

ESO is now entering a new chapter.

We have a strong Co-Founder & CEO in Martha Hernández, SHRM-SCP and a committed leadership team, including Ashley M. and Dax Moreno. With that foundation in place, we’re ready to expand by hiring a Senior Director of Revenue.

We started with a $5,000 check from the Bay Area Community Colleges on June 1, 2020. Since inception, ESO Ventures has closed $22M+ in multi-year public and philanthropic contracts, supported 700+ entrepreneurs, and deployed over $8M in capital... building durable partnerships that anchor local economic development.

Markets change. Federal priorities shift. State budgets tighten or expand. Philanthropic strategies evolve.

As Senior Director of Revenue, your job will be to look around corners, anticipate those shifts, and position ESO Ventures for its next level of growth. You’ll build relationships with municipalities and public and private partners focused on small business and local economic development, and you’ll own revenue end to end.

You’ll work closely with the leadership team, have the active support of the CEO, and partner with ESO’s co-founders and Board members, Ben Wanzo and myself.

I believe deeply in the power of equitable entrepreneurial ecosystems. We’re looking for someone ready to take a strong foundation, and lead the revenue engine for the next era of growth.

Learn more and apply here:
https://lnkd.in/eM8sCXsb

#Businessdevelopment #Strategicpartneships #Revenue #Closer #Bizdev #Businessownership

We're excited to partner with Gary Winter, Tyler Auerbacher and his team at Probate Pathway who are joining us this year as a strategic partner to help modern estate planners simplify the most complex part of the journey: probate administration.

Their comprehensive 12-stage system streamlines cases, reduces delays and family conflict, and gives attorneys proven tools, templates, and workflows to run more efficient, drama-free practices without sacrificing quality of service. 

Together, we are aligning intuitive probate processes with AI-powered notarization and remote witnessing so families experience faster, clearer resolutions and estate planning professionals can focus more on client care and less on administrative bottlenecks.

👉 Register now for the 3 part live Probate Pathway series (1/20/26, 1/27/26, 2/3/26) and gain a clear, structured understanding of probate from start to finish taught live so you can ask questions and apply what you learn in real time: https://lnkd.in/gwvW6JWJ

Happy to share that I'll be speaking at Leading with Legacy: Culture, Purpose & Community in Leadership alongside Bruce Eckfeldt and Amy Birks  


Please join us on January 21!

#legacyInformed

Coaching CEOs to Scale & Exit Faster with Less Drama + 5X Inc 500 CEO + Inc.com Contributor (2016) + 4X Podcast Host + Scaling Up & 3HAG/Metronomics Coach + Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA) + Retreat Facilitator

Leading with Legacy: Culture, Purpose & Community in Leadership

A conversation on how today’s leaders can build companies grounded in purpose — not just profit. We’ll explore passing on more than just wealth and embedding mission across ownership changes. We’ll also cover how community, local impact, and stakeholder value reshape what “successful leadership” really looks like. Bruce, Amy, and Eli share their journeys, insights, and applied strategies for creating a culture that lasts.

Amy Birks, Jessica Solomon and 50 other attendees

Leading with Legacy: Culture, Purpose & Community in Leadership

Is it a good idea for 6 people to decide for 8 billion?

When I first watched The Social Dilemma I was flabbergasted.

After reading Karen Hao’s Empire of AI I’m a more than a bit numb.

The tech is amazing but the folks driving (and being driven by it) have a lot of healing to do.

Let’s talk about slowing down and looking both within and backwards to understand where we might be headed. 🙏

Is AI shaping a future we didn’t ask for?

Well, AI risk expert Tristan Harris believes the real issue isn’t AI itself, but the speed and intention behind it.

Tristan is today’s guest on The Diary Of A CEO, a former Google employee who focused on tech ethics and the co-founder of the Centre for Humane Technology.

He became widely known for ‘The Social Dilemma’ where he revealed how social media was already reshaping our attention and politics. This technology is evolving faster than anything we have in place to understand or manage it.

Tristan has seen how these systems are built from the inside, he’s watched how a simple goal to “keep people scrolling” created addiction and mental-health fallout.

And now, those same aims are being applied to far more powerful AI systems with people inside labs believing AGI could be only a few years to a decade away…

So we covered:

- What happens when AI becomes more persuasive than people?
- What actually changed with ChatGPT and this new wave of AI?
- How do we protect children in an AI-driven world?
- Does misinformation get supercharged by AI?

I said to Tristan that this is the subject I feel the most responsibility talking about. It stays with me long after the cameras are off.

I feel like we’re at a real crossroads, a moment where the choices we make actually matter. And the response to these AI conversations has given me hope.

I was honest with him that I find it hard to feel optimistic at times. Not because change is impossible, but because the probability of us acting in time doesn’t feel high.

But I believe in truth, in open conversation, and in using these platforms responsibly.

I had a quiet moment of delight today when I realized "The Science of Revenge" was already waiting for me on Spotify Premium. 

That realization landed right after watching a clip of James Kimmel, Jr. on the Oprah Winfrey Network through her IG, which made the discovery feel intentional rather than random. 

I'm also currently watching her Apple TV series "The Me You Cant See" which boldly normalizes mental health conversations uniting science, compassion and courage worldwide. 

Oprah's "Trustody" score with me is very high. 

After working in the high trust threshold legacy planning industry, Stephanie Rosso, PhD and I are coming up with an algorithm akin to what we're calling a "Rotten Tomatoes for people". Its essential a percentage score to rank trustworthiness when evaluating advisors, vendors, employees and even apps.  Just like documents need a chain of custody to prove authenticity, we think every trusted advisor should have a Trustody rating. 

More on that to come soon. 

Until later last year, I had no idea that Spotify officially entered audiobooks in late 2022, then expanded included listening for Premium subscribers in 2023 with more than 150000 titles. By 2024 and 2025, industry reporting consistently placed the catalog north of 200,000 audiobooks in major markets. 

What sealed the moment for this book as my next read was seeing a blurb from Anna Lembke the author of Dopamine Nation, which I am also listening to on Spotify. 

That overlap felt grounding. 

Two evidence based voices. One shared thread of responsibility, regulation, and healing. 

Patterns like that tend to show up when the work is real.

Audible still holds the largest catalog overall, with estimates placing Spotify at roughly forty percent of Audible’s size as of 2024. 

Even so, the value equation has shifted. For the first time, I can imagine retiring Audible not out of dissatisfaction, but because a single product now meets me where curiosity, trust, and care intersect.

Its the same reason why hundreds of estate planners come to The Best Notary.  

Instead of hiring different notaries all over the US, coordinating witnesses, a legal assistant, a virtual assistant, an office to meet their their clients, a multi-function copier and building a platform to manage them all they can just sign up with us and focus on building their business. 

Who else wants to join me in reading "The Science of Revenge" and having a discussion about in a couple of months? 

Comment with the word compassion and I'll invite you into my mindfulness community I recently launched via a WAG in conjunction with a monthly Zoom for fellowship and a group meditation!

#NVC #Compassion #Trustody

Richard Peck is not just The Philanthropy Guy he's also the host of the Money to Give podcast which I was very fortunate to be on last January. 

Check out our conversation about the intersection of death, legacy and estate planning. It's also where I dropped a hint about one of my upcoming legacy projects: a podcast at the intersection of death, wealth and social justice. 

Full episode on Spotify: https://lnkd.in/gHFUrfg2

Founder of The Philanthropy Guy® | Philanthropy Advisor | 20 Years Supporting Donors, Families, Nonprofits & Professional Advisors in Turning Values into Generosity and Legacy

Grateful, energized, and honestly amazed by how far this podcast has traveled.

The Money to Give podcast https://lnkd.in/eNsshtJb continues to grow. We are nearing 10,000 downloads (about 500 per month), with listeners now in 37 countries, and we have not yet reached our two-year anniversary (which will be in March 2026).

With growing interest from guests (and listeners), we have moved from bi-weekly to weekly episodes, each paired with an accompanying e-newsletter of about 325 subscribers. Our release queue is now scheduled through June 2026, and that only reflects guests already recorded! Many more conversations are ahead in 2026.

A heartfelt thank you to the 36 guests who joined me in 2025. The podcast would not exist without the insight and generosity of philanthropic leaders like these:

Eli Angote Bria Arline, MBA Megan Helzner, MBA, MPA Valerie Sussman, JD, CAP® Sara Barba (four-time guest) Ben Reinberg Alex Ellis Jason Ellinger Mitch Stein Christopher Schuler Chris Wong, LMHC, ACC Dr. Lise Janelle Kerri Fernsworth Amanda Flanagan Caleb Breakey Dave Ashworth, CPA Deborah Goldstein Ali Bedford Hilary Giovale Rosser Goodman Marc Pollick Patricia Heaton Parker, CFP®, CEP®, CDFA® Roger Devine Bob Hopkins Trish Kane, MBA Nick Burgess Kimberly Haley-Coleman Randy Fox, CFP®, AEP® (three-time guest) Jennifer V. Abelaj, Esq., CPA Marc Onetto Domitille Marchal Lemoine, CFRE Ray DeWitt Erinn Andrews Kris Miller Paul Romness Randall Hallett

Thank you all for sharing your experience and generosity.

If you have been listening, I am grateful. 

If you are new, now is a wonderful time to join the conversation!

I really enjoyed this conversation with Bruce Eckfeldt and Amy Birks at the intersection of legacy and purpose as it relates to my 16 year journey at The Best Notary!

Karen Louise Tollefson, Owner

In addition to loan signings, I specialize in notarial services related to estate planning, trusts, wills, deeds of trust as well as general notary work.

Sound Signings Mobile Notary Service

North Kitsap School District

Elementary School Principal

White Pass School District

Peninsula School District

Elementary School Teacher

As your trusted notary partner,  I represent your team positively and with skill.  Knowing your clients needs are a top priority, I help by providing a personal and seamless signing experience for them. As a result, you win repeat business, referrals from happy customers, and peace of mind knowing that your critical documents are signed and notarized properly. I earned my NSA Certification through Notary2Pro and NNA.  As a member of a professional notary  signing community, my education continues with respected industry leaders weekly. My experience with high quality training ensures each signing is guided by best practice industry standards. I specialize in Real Estate transactions: Buyer and Seller packages, Refinancing, Loan Applications, Commercial Loans, Reverse Mortgages, HELOCS.  Additionally, my specialty notarial work extends to Family Estates, Wills and Trusts, Powers of Attorney, Deeds of Trust, Advanced Health Care Directives.

taplio

The Battle

Eli A.

Karen Louise Tollefson

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance ScoreEli A.'s LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

taplio

The Battle

Eli A.

Karen Louise Tollefson

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Eli A.'s LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

Performance ScoreEli A.'s LinkedIn Performance