The Legacy Planning Process is designed to ensure your confidence at each step along the way from our first consultation through the delivery of your completed planning documents. Not only must you act and plan before it’s too late, but also you must act in a way that will benefit your loved ones the most. During our consultations, you will learn about choices you have and intelligent decisions you can make. Within one month or less of your first session with me, your estate plan can be in place and implemented.

1. Initial Consultation-Family Planning Session
To establish a relationship with you, to provide education about your choices and options for estate planning, and to provide some legal advice about your situation relating to estate planning.

2. Design Meeting
To design with you a customized and complete estate planning strategy that meets your goals and objectives and that provides solutions and results you can count on. Your worries and fears will be reduced or eliminated. We also review your relevant family and financial situation.

3. Sign & Review
To review and sign your estate plan documents and to make sure you understand your plan.

4. Funding
To coordinate beneficiary designation forms and to ensure assets are titled correctly.

5. 30-Day Review Meeting
After you’ve had a chance to read and study everything in your plan, you may schedule a 30-Day Review Meeting. I’ll answer the remaining questions you have so we can make sure you understand the plan you chose.

6. Family Care Meeting
To help your trustees and beneficiaries understand your plan.

How Do You Start?

The estate plan development process begins with you making an appointment for a personal family planning session with me. This meeting is typically scheduled within two weeks after you call. However, if there are any factors that require accelerated planning, such as upcoming major surgery or travel plans, we can meet sooner.

At your family planning session, we will both determine whether there is a good fit between us. If two people will be involved in the planning, both must be present at ALL meetings, including the initial one. This helps save you both time and money by reducing repetition in future meetings.

During your family planning session, we will walk you through exactly what your loved ones would have to do and where your assets would go if something happened to you with your current state of planning. You will then be able to determine if there is anything about your current plan (or Colorado’s state plan if you have no personal one) that you wouldn’t like. At this time, you can focus on what you would want your loved ones to have to do as well as where you would want your assets to go if something happened to you. We also discuss lifetime mental disability or incapacity planning.

Assuming there is a good fit between us, I will help you choose the planning level and fee range that is right for your family and accommodates your needs. There is a basic fixed fee for each different type of plan. ‘Funding’ instructions (for titles and beneficiary designations) are included. If you schedule your Design Meeting at the Initial Conference, the minimal fee for the Initial Conference will be credited against the fixed fee. If we decide to work together, either during or shortly after your family planning session ends, we’ll work together to design a plan that will give you the peace of mind of knowing your family will be taken care of in the event of your disability or passing.

Making Your Will or Trust Official

Within about two weeks after the design meeting is completed, we’ll meet for the signing ceremony at which you will make all of your planning documents official as we discuss them together.

The next step, funding, involves the proper changes to ownership of assets and beneficiary designations (link to beneficiary designations page). I work with you for about the next four weeks, as needed, to make sure your trust—if that is the plan you choose—is properly funded.

The final step is ongoing. You should be aware that as your assets, your family, or the law change, you should consider if any adjustments are necessary to your plan. You should consider reviewing your plan at least every three years.

Ready to Begin? Schedule Your Education & Estate Planning Analysis Consultation.

If this sounds like the kind of relationship you are looking for, please contact me so we can schedule a time to meet. The initial Family Planning Session, which educates you about what you should know about wills and trusts, involves a minimal fixed fee for my professional time and advice.