HOW TO GET STARTED
So you likely realize by now that The Estate Planning Group is different than other firms. If you’d like our kind of lifetime protection, guidance and support for your family and those you love, then let’s get started!
We think it’s important to explain how we work, because we do things differently here at The Estate Planning Group. And that’s one of the reasons our client family loves us so much.
Call our office at 920-558-9300 to schedule your personal Life & Legacy Planning Session. Our Client Services Team will schedule the most convenient appointment time available for you with one of our Life & Legacy Planning attorneys.
When you schedule your personal Life & Legacy Planning Session, we’ll reserve 2 hours on our calendar so we can focus on your family.
We think it’s important to explain how we work, because we do things differently here at The Estate Planning Group. And that’s one of the reasons our client family loves us so much.
We will send you a package with some information to get started. This will include a Family Data & Asset Inventory form to complete before our meeting which will help you begin the process of getting your legal and financial life in order. During the Life & Legacy Planning meeting, we will help you see what would happen for your loved ones if something were to happen to you. Understanding what would happen with what you have in place right now is the best way to see what planning you want to put in place for your family. With that foundation, we will help you ensure you put that plan in place, quickly and easily. Our Clients often comment on how easy it was, and how relieved they are that we explain it all in a way that’s easy to understand.
We’re are going to dedicate this time to you and your family. We strive to spend our time providing the highest level service to our client family – it’s what we love to do, and we take is seriously. We ask that you take it seriously, too. If you care about your family and loved ones, and want to ensure the best for them when something happens to you, we are here to ensure you do that, so we have to limit the number of new clients we see.
WHAT TO DO PRIOR TO YOUR LIFE & LEGACY PLANNING SESSION
After scheduling your appointment, we will send you the information package with your Family Data & Asset Inventory form and other important information that you will want to review prior to your personal Family Life & Legacy Planning Session. We must have your Family Data & Asset Inventory returned to our office 2 days prior to your Session either by mail, electronic mail or we will need to reschedule your Session. Feel free to contact the office at any time if you need assistance completing your worksheet or have any questions at all.
The Family Data & Asset Inventory is designed to help you identify important information and questions that are essential to organize and plan your legal and financial affairs.
It is important that you fill this out as completely as you can and provide it to us before our appointment so that we will have the most productive time together.
If you have existing planning documents, please be sure to send your existing documents to our office at least a week before your appointment so we can review them and prepare notes for our meeting.
On the day of the meeting, please set aside enough time – you will spend up to 2 hours with your attorney, possibly more. We don’t simply tell you what you need and ask for names and addresses – there are two main purposes to the Life & Legacy Planning meeting:
To ensure you understand the law and what would happen if you died with your current (or no) plan in place.
To determine if we are a good fit for you and your family and if you want to proceed to put protections in place with us.
By knowing what would happen to your family under your current plan, you will know what you want to happen differently. Then, together with our guidance, you can make the decisions that will give you the peace of mind of knowing your family is protected and will be taken care of exactly in the way you want in the event something happens to you.
If you and your attorney are comfortable there is a good fit with your family and The Estate Planning Group, AND you have identified what you know you want to change about how things would happen under your current plan (or lack of plan), then you and your attorney can start to design the plan to protect your family right away.
If you choose to join our client family and plan with us, we will start the outline to design your plan at the Life & Legacy Planning Session.
Along with completing your plan design, we’ll also review your assets to ensure everything you own will be properly addressed for the best protections. Then, we’ll schedule a meeting to review your plan and to sign the plan documents approximately 4-6 weeks later.
We have a process that makes the planning easy and efficient, and is easy to understand, so you will know for certain your plan specifies exactly what you want to happen, when and how, when something happens to you. Once you have executed the planning documents, your family, your wealth and your legacy will be protected and supported just as we had discussed during our meetings and review.
For us, this is just the beginning. We are here to support you and your family when anything comes up. We provide for any changes to your plan free of charge for up to 90 days after our signing session, and we provide complimentary complete plan “Life & Legacy Update” reviews once every 3 years.
Our final meeting for your initial plan will be your Delivery Appointment, where we will deliver your documents, explain the plan organization and provide you with some guidance on ensuring your plan continues to provide the highest level of protection for you and your loved ones. We will give you a little “homework,” (but don’t worry, it’s not too hard!), and we will send a letter later, as well, just to check in to ensure there were no unanswered questions or concerns.
At our final meeting during the planning stage of our relationship, we will check in on the funding of your plan (if you have a trust), and make sure you are on track whether we are taking the lead or you are taking the lead with our guidance.
We review your plan and the follow-up steps with you and ensure all of your questions are answered.
WHAT HAPPENS AFTER I TAKE MY ESTATE PLANNING DOCUMENTS HOME?
After the planning and signing of your plan, and after we’ve delivered your documents, we want to help make sure your plan stays up-to-date. We are here to support you and your family when anything comes up. We provide for any changes to your plan free of charge for up to 90 days after our signing session, and we provide complimentary complete plan “Life & Legacy Update” reviews once every 3 years – no additional charge. Finally, we are always here for you and your family, and our flat-fee billing policy means we don’t charge you for phone calls or emails. We want to here from you!
You will be surprised at how painless and easy the entire Life & Legacy planning process will be for your family.
We're here to answer your questions and help you begin your Life & Legacy planning journey. Reach out today for a complimentary consultation.
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