Your First Estate Planning Appointment

If you’ve never been through the estate planning process before or you’re meeting with a new estate planning attorney, it’s understandable that you may have some questions or concerns that you want to address during the appointment. Therefore, it’s important that you take the time to thoroughly prepare for your initial estate planning appointment so that you can make the most out of your time with your estate planning attorney.

What You Should Consider Before Your Estate Planning Appointment

There are several steps that you can take when it comes to preparing for your initial estate planning appointment. As a result, there are several things that you should consider when it comes to putting together your estate plan. Here are a few things to keep in mind:

• Think about who you would like to serve in the important roles in your estate plan
Deciding who you would like to serve as your Executor and Power of Attorney is an essential part of your estate plan. Although for some families the choice is clear, for other families, this decision is something that can be more complicated. Therefore, it’s important that you take the time to think about these important options.

• Put together a list of assets
Before you can start estate planning, you need to know what is part of your estate. If you work with a financial advisor, a good rule of thumb is to connect your financial advisor with your estate planning attorney so that you can ensure that every asset is accounted for. However, if you don’t work with an advisor, you can always make a list of your assets and bring them with you to your consultation. If possible, you should also bring recent statements for these assets so that any tax consequences can be taken into consideration.

• Be open to different strategies
Although you may think that your estate plan is simple and straightforward, your estate planning attorney may see a strategy that you may not have considered before which can save your family time and stress after you have passed away. You should always stay open to these different strategies and be an open and honest participant in the development of your estate plan.

Expectations of Your First Estate Planning Appointment

It’s important that you understand that your initial appointment is a planning appointment. Your estate planning attorney will ask you several questions when it comes to the assets that you have and the goals that you have for your estate. Your estate planning attorney will not be able to generate your estate planning documents on the spot. Instead, you will need to come back for another appointment so that you can sign them. Keep in mind that when providing your attorney with names, you should always double check the spelling of these names to ensure that they are correct when your attorney produces these documents. If the spelling of any names are wrong or there is information that is not correct, it’s possible that this could have an impact on administering your estate after you pass away.

Schedule Your Initial Estate Planning Appointment Today

Are you ready to make an appointment for your first estate planning appointment? We encourage you to get in touch with us today. Our experienced team of estate planning professionals will walk you through the estate planning process in a way that is as stress free as possible. We provide you with the personalized touch that you need and deserve from your estate planning attorney. Reach out to us today so that we can set up an appointment for you. Call our office at 425-284-3450 to get started.