Estate Planning Should Always be a Team Effort

Posted by Robert L. Arone – A Team of Coordinated Professionals Is Your Clients’ Best Bet Picture a symphony’s worth of classical musicians all trying to play a piece in perfect harmony, but they can’t see one another. Each of them also has slightly different sheet music. It doesn’t take a stretch of the imagination to know it’s not going to sound pretty. That’s what it’s like for clients whose various advisors don’t communicate. Of course, an individual’s wealth management strategy doesn’t come from just one part of their approach, but rather a comprehensive and holistic combination of the efforts of several professionals. A little miscommunication goes a long way You might be surprised to consider just how often disjointed planning and advising can impact a client’s long-term financial well-being. Estate planning attorneys, CPAs, financial advisors, and insurance agents may have access to the same initial set of client documents

Read More »

The Superior Alternative to “I Love You” Wills

Posted by Robert L. Arone – Guide Your Clients to Lifetime Beneficiary Directed Trusts Instead As Valentine’s Day brings heart-shaped chocolate boxes and roses by the dozen into your clients’ imaginations, seize the moment to educate them about the drawbacks of “I love you” wills and introduce them to the estate planning move that’s actually going to ensure they do well by their loved ones: a lifetime beneficiary trust. You may already be well aware of what estate attorneys call “I love you” wills. You can recognize these wills because they are often short and their hallmark is that the maker of the will leaves everything, outright, to his or her surviving spouse. Hence the “I love you” name: “I love you so much, I’m leaving everything to you.” But this all-too-common approach creates significant risk for beneficiaries and, contrary to their name, is often not the most caring of

Read More »

How and Why Life Insurance Still Matters in Estate Planning

Posted by Robert L. Arone – A frequently overlooked aspect of a client’s life insurance is proper alignment with estate planning goals. Between the typical set-it-and-forget-it mentality and a simple beneficiary approach many people take, a neglected life insurance policy often fails to achieve the goals that initially led to the purchase of the policy. But, you can help. You, as the trusted financial advisor, and us, as the estate planning attorney, can thoroughly review your client’s life insurance needs and policies. You may be able to recommend modifications or new policies to address vulnerabilities, and we can ensure that the ownership of the policy and death benefit are properly aligned to achieve your clients’ estate planning goals. By building deeper and broader relationships with your clients, you can grow your own business through referrals, earn commission on any newly written life insurance, and, potentially, undertake management of assets when

Read More »

How to Overcome the Challenges of Legacy Planning that Plague Blended Families

Posted by Robert L. Arone – As you’ve probably already noticed, estate planning can be challenging – not only for the “traditional” nuclear family but, also for the millions of “non-traditional” families. The blended family scenarios are virtually endless – a spouse with independent wealth that marries a younger new spouse, children from a previous marriage but no children from this marriage, children from a previous marriage plus children from this new marriage, and more. Sometimes, an estate “plan” of a blended family seems less like a plan and more of a grab bag of joint and solely owned assets with no clear plan about who gets what and why. Although the increased complexity and variety of family structures makes effective planning more challenging, the need is greater now than ever before. Of course, no single newsletter could ever cover all the potential issues, so always feel free to contact

Read More »

8 Red Flags That Your Clients’ Estate Plans Are Out of Whack

Posted by Robert L. Arone – How Uncovering Your Clients’ Legal Needs Means More Business for You Estate plans, like complex computer code, can get buggy. As a financial advisor, you have a fiduciary duty to your clients to help them avoid negative consequences of bad planning. That duty includes keeping tabs on legal issues related to estate planning and getting your clients the help they need, when they need it, and no later. Being able to spot common problems with estate plans can do a lot for your business. It can expand your relationships with clients and allow you to serve them in a fuller capacity – one that’s more profitable for you. That said, you probably have more than enough on your plate already. The thought of getting into the weeds into estate planning and probate law may be overwhelming. And it is true that the rabbit hole

Read More »
Top