Estate Planning
____________ ____________
Protecting Your Family’s Assets
Estate Planning
Our practice focuses on estate planning. We believe estate planning is a process, not just a set of legal documents. It is a process that should start when you are young. As soon as you are an adult is best, but definitely no later than when you have your first child. Too many people wait until they retire before they start estate planning. Waiting can put your family at risk should something happen while you are still young. Whether you are a young family without an estate plan, have an existing plan that has not been reviewed in a while, concerned about protecting your pets, or have other estate planning needs, we can help.
Creating Your Estate Plan
We emphasize the need for expanded client counseling and education on how your estate plan works. Then we focus on what actions you need to take during your lifetime to assure that your estate plan performs in the manner you expect. To start the estate planning process, we begin with client education through our complimentary workshop called The Truth About Estate Planning™.
The next step is to gather your personal information. Then we sit down to review your goals and reasons for planning. Armed with this information we begin to work together – then we provide thorough counseling and present options for you to create your own personal estate plan.
Trust Funding / Implementing Your Estate Plan
Once your customized estate plan has been signed, we assist in funding and implementing that plan with you. Trust funding is simply the process of transferring your assets into your trust, or naming your trust as beneficiary. Without this critical step, your estate plan will not work as intended. Complete trust funding ensures that your assets are properly owned and controlled in the event of disability or death.
Estate Planning – Maintenance and Updating
In addition, we have developed a maintenance and education program, LifeFocus Planning® that keeps your estate plan up to date and accurate throughout life’s changes. We provide education and training to you and your family. This ensures that the loved ones you designate know what to do should they need to assist you.
The LifeFocus Planning® Maintenance Program also includes:
- Reviewing and updating your plan due to life and law changes, so it stays up-to-date, and your estate plan works!
- Reviewing your assets and beneficiary designations on an annual basis to ensure your estate plan will always work as intended.
- Word-processing changes made, as needed, to your existing documents.
- Ongoing enrollment in DocuBank, to ensure your emergency medical information will always be available when needed, 24/7.
- Ongoing enrollment in DCS (Directive Communication Systems), to ensure your digital assets are properly managed at death and provide a secure portal for our sharing of documents.
- Invitations to client education workshops and client appreciation events. Potential topics include: “What to Do” Workshop for Your Helpers, Estate Planning Nuts & Bolts, Retirement Planning, Wealth Reception Planning, and more.
- And much more—all without hourly billing!
Trust Settlement After Death
Our trust settlement services help to ease administration at death or disability for your loved ones. We counsel, settle, and administer your estate plan with the family according to your wishes.
