What You Need to Do to Prepare for Your Estate Planning Consultation

We find that many people don’t do estate planning because they are overwhelmed with the process. Our goal as a law firm is to make the process as painless as possible.  We want to make it easy for you to move forward and make sure that your estate plan meets your goals.  Here is what you need to do prior to coming into our office for your estate planning consultation:

Define your Objectives:

• Determine how you want your assets distributed.  Sometimes this is very easy people have three children and they want them all treated equally.  Sometimes it is much harder and people are not sure how they want their assets distributed after their death.  Having an idea even if it is not finalized it can help give us a starting point for discussing this issue.

• Determine who you trust to make decisions on your behalf regarding your assets and your health.  We always encourage everyone to have at least two people they trust to fill the various roles in their estate plan.  This helps insure against having vacancies if something happens to one of the individuals named. 

• Determine if there are any interesting family dynamics which could impact your wishes being fulfilled.  It is always helpful for us to know of any unusual family dynamics or of any special needs to limitations of your heirs that might impact your estate plan.  Again, this information helps us determine the best estate plan for you given your specific needs and desires. 

Make a List of Questions

• We know that this process is stressful, no one likes thinking about their eventual death, but taking a few minutes to write down the questions you want to ask prior to your consultation can be helpful in making sure that your needs and wants are met with your final estate plan. 

What do I need to bring?  

• This is a question we get from everyone and while every law firm is different, we try to make this easy, typically we just need you to be aware of what your assets are generally.  We need to know if you have life insurance, retirement accounts, real estate, and business interests.  We need a snapshot of your assets.  We do not need to know the balance of every account.  This general information helps us determine what estate plan is best for you.

Conclusion

Preparing for an estate planning consultation involves thoughtful reflection and understanding of your financial and personal affairs. By spending a few minutes thinking through what you want, you can ensure that your estate plan reflects your wishes and provides peace of mind for you and your loved ones. 

If you are ready to schedule your free Estate Planning Consultation, please contact us at 316-265-0797 or click here to schedule through our website.