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Your
Initial Appointment
We are committed with working with successful individuals and families who
want to plan, protect and preserve their wealth to provide for themselves
and their loved ones. Our clients appreciate our sense of quality, caring
and professionalism. They understand our fees are based on the complexity
of the work, the creativity of the solutions to be developed, and the
quality of the results that we will obtain for them. All billings are on a
flat-fee basis.
In order to ensure that your estate plan
effectively addresses all of your needs and reflects your wishes, we
gather as much information about you as possible prior to drafting your
documents.
Below you will find links to the estate planning
questionnaire we use in the planning process, and a cover letter
explaining what you should bring to your initial appointment. The
questionnaire and letter are in pdf format, and can be viewed using the Adobe
Acrobat Reader, available free from Adobe.com. Please note that the
documents will open in a separate window.
Understanding
the Three P's of Estate Planning
#1
-- People
Who are the Important People in your life?
Beginning with yourself, they also likely include
your loved ones: your spouse if you are married, children and
grandchildren if you have any, perhaps your parents, siblings or other
relatives. Beyond these, however, "Important People" also could
include charities, special causes, colleges or universities, or churches
to which you are committed. For some, "Important People" could
even include pets. Spend some time thinking about the impact others have
had on your life. Make a list and jot notes if you like. This is where the
planning process truly begins.
#2
-- Property
By Property we mean your assets in general.
Make a list of the assets you own or control. At this point, you do not need to identify
insurance policy numbers and exact dollar values. Rather think through your assets in
terms of their nature (cash, stocks, bonds, real estate, etc.); their value in thousands
of dollars; and your ownership interest. Do you own assets in your name only, in joint
tenancy with someone else, or through a trust agreement or some other arrangement? Be sure
to include often-overlooked assets like life insurance (the death benefit, not the cash
value), business interests, and any inheritance you may expect to receive.
#3
-- Plans
After identifying the Important People in your life and your Property, the next step is to
consider the plans you would make for those people (including yourself) and that Property
in the event of your own incapacity or death.
Who would you name to make decisions for you if you could no longer do so yourself? Would
the same person handle your finances and your personal and health care decisions? Who
would care for your minor children? How would you distribute your assets to your heirs?
Would you prefer to spare your heirs the cost and hassles of the probate process? Would
you like to minimize the impact of estate taxes ... or maximize the impact of a charitable
bequest? Is there someone in your family with special needs for whom you would like to
provide? Is there someone who perhaps should not receive a great deal of money without
some outside oversight?
These are just a few of
the issues to consider when approaching the planning process. They are much more important
than the "treasure hunt" for legal documents at this stage.
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