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We Help Self-Made Leaders Turn First Time Success Into Generational Wealth

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Join +192 CEOs, Executives, & Leaders Who Are Consciously Designing Their Future

Congratulations, you've made it! You are the first member of your family to break through the wealth barrier and achieve significant financial success. Now what?
I've worked with self-made successes in business, media, ministry and more. I can assure you that everyone is going through the same process and that it doesn't need to be hard. In fact, this is an opportunity to create the life you've always dreamed of for yourself and your loved ones.
But don't take my word for it. Listen to what some of my clients have to say:

Beatrice Dixon

CEO of The Honey Pot Company
Goal: Life Curation
Assets: ~$60M Company Valuation

"When you have an asset, it's in your best interest to start thinking about how you want your life to look and feel. You want to start curating your life. And part of that is to start thinking about the future.

We get the opportunity to do things that are hard, but they're important. What's all this for if it doesn't support you and your family and your dreams?

I have friends who did it after they accumulated their wealth and it was a lot more expensive. I'm lucky that I have you to help me, because if not I would have been lost. I feel extremely comfortable and happy, and I'm extremely grateful for you for helping design what all this looks like."

~ Beatrice Dixon

Brenda Wood

Anchor for 11 Alive (ABC Affiliate)
Goal: Protecting Family
Assets: Retirement Nest Egg

"I don't want my kids to have the angst I had when my mom passed away.

Thanks to The Saunders Firm, I was actually able to accomplish the things I said I was going to accomplish since 2010.

I was trying to remember all the steps and I don't. All I remember is it was really simple. Once I contacted you, you were on it. I didn't have to think hard about it. I just checked the things I wanted covered.

I feel very comfortable, confident, and assured that all my estate will be handled properly, that my kids have all the information they need, there won't be any angst or worry or anxiety. It's all laid out."

~ Brenda Wood

Ferne Sapp

CEO of Vessels of Purpose
Goal: Protecting Family
Assets: Willable Residual Income

Ferne Sapp works in travel and ministry. Through her work in ministry, she noticed a lot of people weren't fully prepared and their families were left to clean up the mess. She didn't want to leave that type of situation for her kids, so she contacted our firm.

She said she "loved the video explanations about what the process was like" and thought our process was "extremely educational."

Now she feels "so prepared...like my family is going to be in good hands and won't have to try and figure it all out."

~ Ferne Sapp

Kittie & Gary Barth

Happily Retired
Goal: Protecting Family
Asset: Retirement Nest Egg
   

I helped Kittie and Gary Barth update their +15 year old estate plan when Kittie’s dad died. They were on vacation at the time, but they were “never worried about the process or how long it took” because “it was explained real well. Better than could be imagined.”

Kittie said it was so easy “I could cry. I can't tell you how easy, how comfortable, and you just made it so simple and easy it's a dream come true.”

Gary said “I don't want to have an attorney. I want Amber.”

~ Kittie & Gary Barth

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Congratulations, You Made It! Now What?

Where You Are:

You know estate planning is important, but you aren't sure how to start
You've seen what happens in probate and don't want that for your loved ones
You've heard you need a will, but you don't know how any of this works
You're dreading slogging through a confusing, expensive process
You promise you'll do it later, but it keeps popping up and nagging you
You just want this to be done so you can move on and never think about it again

Where You Want To Be:

You feel at ease with the process and comfortable making changes to your plan
You feel tremendous peace knowing your loved ones are safe from probate
You understand wills & trusts and can explain estate planning with confidence
You feel free to call your family attorney at any time and update your plan
You feel empowered to take action and design the future you want
You mind is free of worry and you are able to truly focus on living in the now
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Here’s the simple truth

You can prevent needless angst and drama, provide for your loved ones, ensure your business and assets survive, and set the stage for future generations by designing the right Estate Plan.

However, most people don't end up with the right plan because thinking about the future is uncomfortable, confusing, and difficult when distracted with needs of daily life.

We are the only firm that helps successful business leaders stop worrying about the future so they can start living in the present.

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Let Me Introduce Myself

Amber Saunders

LinkedIn

Hey there, my name is Amber Saunders. I founded The Saunders Firm after paying my way through law school with a small tutoring business.

Early in my career, my grandmother passed away. She was prepared. Then a little later my uncle passed, and he was not. The difference was dramatic. I realized I wanted to help families prevent the pain, confusion, and needless waste that comes from an unprepared death.

I thought Estate Planning would be easy - you just fill out some forms, right? It turns out there's a lot more involved than that. I searched everywhere for the best solutions. I joined mentorship programs, bought expensive software suites, and hired consultants. But nobody knew how to do Estate Planning for successful leaders who wanted to stop repeating family history and pass on a legacy of success.

So I set out to solve the problem on my own. I created educational material, streamlined the design process, learned how to capture important thoughts and wishes, and much more.

The solution worked so well that people started asking me to do their Estate Plans too.

After working scores of clients, I've learned one thing: a good estate plan isn’t just a collection of legal clauses. It’s the last love letter you’ll ever write.

The truth is, you can create an amazing estate plan effortlessly and finally get the guilty feeling off your chest.

How To Finally Finish Your Estate Plan

There are countless reasons to put off your Estate Plan. The problem is, you will never be able to get rid of that guilty feeling until you do it.
So do it! Here are the core steps:

Step 1: List Your Assets

Old Way

When you work with other attorneys, they will ask you to write down your assets and decide how you want those to be split up among your heirs. Then they will draft your Estate Plan and hand you a binder full of technical legal documents, which you will most likely place on your shelf and never look at again.

New Way

When you work with us, we'll give you a worksheet to help you collect and organize all of your assets, including your accounts, logins, etc... We'll then walk through that asset inventory with you to ensure it is complete and accurate. Then we'll draft your plan but allow you to manage it through the inventory instead of forcing you to learn legalese.

Old Results

There are a ton of problems with the old way of doing things, such as:

  • Not listing all your assets
  • Not understanding what qualifies as an asset
  • Not clearly explaining asset ownership (ex: if you are part of a joint venture)
  • Not including important context, like account numbers or passwords
  • Not creating a user friendly document to track all of this
  • Not having backups or a failsafe mechanism
  • Not updating this information over time

If things aren’t done correctly the first time around, you’ll be leaving your family a giant mess during one of the most traumatic times in their lives. They might even have to go through Probate.

New Results

Since you are writing all of this down anyway, we want to make sure we capture and store all of the information in a way that's easy to manage and understand. It looks like this:

  1. Create a full inventory so your family doesn't have to (include name, location, account number, value, etc...)
  2. Specify what assets have beneficiary designations and which ones don’t
  3. Keep a duplicate record of this in case you lose your copy
  4. Update your assets regularly so you don’t risk probate
  5. Ensure your estate plan includes a CYA (cover your ass) Will, just in case you forget to mention that crypto wallet you forget in the sock drawer.

Key Insights

Most attorneys just assume you want what everybody else wants. Even if you don’t, the want to keep things simple so they can avoid mistakes and keep a healthy bottom line. But this isn’t best for you…

  1. You need an "asset inventory" document that stores all of your assets, accounts, logins, etc and can be easily passed down and managed by future generations.
  2. You should keep this document up to date so you can avoid probate court and keep things easy for your loved ones. And remember: if you update your asset inventory, then you need to update your Estate Plan as well.
  3. You can use this document to educate your loved ones about managing wealth and assets. This is a valuable lesson that can be passed down to future generations and set them up for success!

Step 2: Design Your Plan

Old Way

Most attorneys will ask you what you want to happen to your assets. Sometimes they will guide you through the various options, although a lot of lawyers will try skip this and just assume you want the basics. What almost nobody does is helps you take a step back and look at the big picture. Nope. They leave you to figure stuff out on your own.

New Way

Our firm is different. We believe that you are the only person who can design the ideal future, but you need to understand your options in order to do that. So we provide a 1-on-1 design session where we build the future with you. We start with the big picture questions and then guide you through the details.

Old Results

If you dive into creating an Estate Plan before getting clear on what you want, it will be too hard. You’ll end up trying to make your plan look like everyone else’s or just adopt the very “lawyer-like” language they use in a template. In the end, you’ll end up with a plan that doesn’t represent your will. You’ll have gone through all that work and expense just to feel disappointed and frustrated.

New Results

When you work with us, we'll guide you through a series of questions so you can get clear on what you're trying to create. Our 1-on-1 design session will help you effortlessly dig into the details so that everything works exactly the way you want. We'll even use a whiteboard to diagram everything out so that you can see the full plan in action. Our process will leave you feeling happy and confident.

Key Insights

Most attorneys are focused on getting your current assets into the legal documentation. This is important, but if that's all they do then you're missing out on a ton of additional value:

  1. How are you going to design a complex legal document if you can’t picture it in your mind first? It doesn’t work! That's why we have a database of questions that help you get clear on what the future should look like.
  2. You can't envision the ideal future if you don't know what your options are. That's why we walk you through the design process 1-on-1 instead of leaving you to figure things out on your own.
  3. We find it's much easier to understand the plan when you map it out. That's why we literally draw out your plan on a diagram so you can see all your assets and how everything works.

Step 3: Draft Your Documents

Old Way

You hand over your list of assets and designations to your lawyer. They never ask questions, so you just assume everything is being taken care of. You call in once to ask some questions, but upon being billed for $63 you decide to never do that again. You finally get your documents and get an email with instructions for doing something at the bank, but you get distracted and forget about it. As time goes on, you relocate, your children become adults, and many other changes occur. You don't call your lawyer because they charge you for every change. The plan is done, and that's good enough, right?

New Way

When you work with us, we will confirm your design within 7 days. We'll summarize your plan so you can spot errors in our understanding and correct them on the spot. Once we start drafting, you can call and ask questions without being billed or penalized - and unlike other attorneys, we'll actually answer the phone and respond to your emails with more than 3 words. Once we finish, we schedule a meeting and walk you through everything to ensure you understand exactly what you need to do to finalize the plan and maintain it. And if you have our membership, you get free lifetime updates.

Old Results

Many years later when you become incapacitated or die, your family finds your Estate Plan, only to discover the plan is inaccurate, outdated, and doesn't match what you've been telling them for years. A series of arguments and disputes arise over these differences. Your estate must pass through Probate because the plan is completely useless. Everything is very messy and public.

New Results

You will feel confident and engaged because we keep you up to date at every step of the process. You are always clear about what's going on and have the ability to jump in and ask questions or correct problems. We will hold you accountable at the end and make sure you actually finalize your plan. We also check in and help you keep your plan updated so it is accurate and works.

Key Insights

The devil is in the details, but most lawyers try to gloss over those because that's where all the hard work is done. They want to keep their hourly rates high instead of delivering a great service.

  1. Your lawyer should provide you with a summary so that you can ask questions and flag errors. This is opposite of how most firms operate, where they just assume they have it right.
  2. You should never be penalized for asking questions or correcting mistakes. The reason this happens is because you have purchased a cheap solution where they only make money by avoiding "extra" work, so they will ignore your phone calls and bill you for questions to maintain their profit margin.
  3. You must keep your plan updated over time. That's essential! It's also the hardest part because most people forget or focus on the bill instead of keeping their plan viable. We have a subscription service the eliminates this problem.

Step 4: Include Your Family

Old Way

Virtually all Estate Plans involve other people - family members, friends, etc... These people may have specific roles to play in the execution of your plan, or they may be heirs and beneficiaries of your plan. But in many cases, they never get informed about their role or educated about what their responsibilities are. This can be quite surprising and isn't a good way to operate.

New Way

This can be a sensitive subject and we understand if you're uncomfortable reaching out to have these conversations. With your permission, we can contact the people listed in your plan and notify them of their role. Better yet, we can explain their responsibilities and answer any questions they may have. We'll even hold a special meeting for your entire group.

Old Results

Not informing people ahead of time can create all kinds of problems. Your key role players may not understand what to do, they may not even be willing to be in that role and refuse to participate. Your heirs may believe they are entitled to more than what you left them and start fighting. Your family may not even know you have an Estate Plan or how to find it or your asset inventory.

New Results

It's important that everyone is on the same page and feels comfortable with their role and responsibility. If they aren't comfortable, you need to know that ahead of time so you can name someone else who can carry out your wishes when the time comes. This can prevent all of the problems and confusion and allow your family to come together and focus on what matters most.

Key Insights

It's important for you to understand how Estate Planning works, but it's equally important that your loved ones know as well. This can prevent all kinds of problems and drama from arising.

  1. Notifying people ahead of time allows you to name replacements if they are unwilling or unable to complete the duties you have for them.
  2. It's important to educate people about their role and responsibilities so they are prepared when the time comes and can make sure your wishes become a reality.
  3. You can resolve a lot of questions, concerns, and confusion by bringing everyone together on a group meeting where they can get education and answers.

Step 5: Leave Your Legacy

Old Way

Filing your Estate Plan is the first step in taking care of your family's future. As long as you keep things updated and inform everybody, things should go smoothly. No drama, no Probate. And as far as most law firms are concerned, that's all there is to it. They don't help you leave mementos or messages for your family. They won't help you think through the emotional side of things.

New Way

We understand that the legal documents are just the first step toward leaving a legacy. Once we finish drafting your documents, we bring you through a legacy interview and create a time capsule with information about who you are and what you stand for. It's a way to be emotionally present and celebrate with them even when you're no longer around physically.

Old Results

The problem with this approach is that although you've taken care of your family's financial future, your passing will leave an emotional void. You haven't given them a story or a legacy to carry forward to future generations. Your loved ones will be left to sort through your belongings and old text messages until they find something to remember you by. Is that how you want things to end?

New Results

Think of this process as the last love letter you'll ever write. We want to make it amazing! We'll help you craft special messages for big events like weddings, birthdays, and anniversaries. We'll help you write down your guiding principles and the values you stand for so that your spiritual legacy is passed down along with your assets. This is the way to great true generational wealth.

Key Insights

Estate Planning is more than just a binder full of legal documents. It more than just a transfer of physical assets. It's the opportunity to create generational wealth by passing down wisdom and emotional support. The 1% understand this and always make sure to:

  1. Pass down their wisdom, values, and guiding principles so future generations don't have to reinvent the wheel or wonder where they came from and what brought them to this point in the family legacy.
  2. Design a personal brand for the future of their family. To lay down a trajectory of success and motivate future generations with a powerful vision of hope and success in every dimension of life.
  3. Comfort their loved ones during big events instead of leaving a void. Taking initiative to guide their family emotionally and spiritually instead of forcing them to pick out their own memories.

Step 6: Maintain Your Plan

Old Way

Most lawyers believe their job is done when the Estate Plan has been filed. The legal documentation is complete and you're completely covered. For now, that is. Many firms don't even bother to ensure you take the necessary steps to finalize your plan by transferring assets and similar tasks. And the remaining few don't keep you accountable over the years.

New Way

We understand that filing your Estate Plan is really just the beginning. Maintaining an accurate plan is where the real value is at. Most law firms don't want to do this part because it requires extra work. They try to charge high hourly rates for every little question or change. Compare that to our membership program where we provide free lifetime updates and a 3-year review.

Old Results

Your children grow up. Your assets change and evolve. You relocate. Some of the members on your Estate Plan grow distant or pass away. Laws and regulations change. And if you aren't updating your Estate Plan with these changes, then it's gradually becoming more and more outdated until it's completely useless. Without maintenance, you might as well skip it altogether.

New Results

Having a membership gives you the ability to maintain your Estate Plan over time, but it's more than just that. We help you maintain your asset inventory and hold a second copy just in case yours gets lost or damaged. We provide lifetime support so your family knows exactly what to do and who to call if anything should happen. We'll even distribute your legacy messages at the appropriate times.

Key Insights

Creating the Estate Plan is a great first step, but it won't count for anything unless the plan is maintained over time. That's where our subscription model comes into play. With it, you can...

  1. Get a secure backup of your asset inventory, free lifetime updates, and a 3-year review to ensure you are properly maintaining your plan.
  2. Have a single point of contact where your family can go to get instructions or ask questions when it's time to use the Estate Plan.
  3. Distribute your time capsules at the appropriate times when big events happen such as weddings, anniversaries, birthdays, and more.
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All You Need To Do Is...

If you list your assets, design a plan, draft your documents, include your family, leave your legacy, and maintain your plan, you will sleep easy knowing you've done your job and your loved ones are provided for.
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So What Are Your Options?

Do It Yourself

You could always do this yourself. In fact, I’ve already given you the tools and templates you need to get started. The problem is it’s going to be time consuming, think +20 hours of research minimum. There are a TON of intricate details you need to be aware of - more than I can possibly share with you here. In fact, chances are you will need to pay for at least a few hours of +$300/hour attorney fees to get clear on exactly how things work.

Doing this is still cheaper than the other options, at least up front, but you’ll never truly know if things are going to work until you put it to the test. And at that point, it will be too late to make changes. You’ll be leaving your family with all the baggage for the mistakes you made.

Hire An Attorney

Most people recognize this type of work is worth paying for professional help. The question is, how do you tell which Estate Planner really understands the problem and has your back?

You could rely on Google Reviews, but those usually just mean the attorney is friendly, not necessarily skilled. After all, they don’t know whether their plan works until long after the review.

If you combine Google Reviews with the checklists I’ve provided, you should be able to identify a high quality provider, but even then it can fail if they are missing steps toward the end of the process. This will only show up AFTER you have paid the initial fees.

For example, you might discover they talk a good game but then neglect you during the fulfillment, they don’t answer their phone or email, and you are left hanging with no good options other than to beg for a refund.

Work With Us

If you want a Designer Estate Plan and guaranteed satisfaction, then you’ll want to work with the Saunders Firm.

You’ve already sampled some of the techniques we use and there is much more where that comes from…

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Let Me Help You Succeed!

Again, this is for business owners, busy professionals, and first generation successes who want to set their family up to continue their legacy and don’t want to deal with low quality solutions or have to micromanage the process.

I’ve worked with 192 business owners just like you and achieved fantastic results.
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Why Work With us?

Here’s what is going to happen when you work with us:
You will be able to rest easy knowing your kids, and their future assets, are fully protected.
You can finally get rid of that nagging feeling you’ve been carrying around. You’ve done the thing. Congrats!
You will feel confident knowing everything is correct and nothing will break.
You will have a sense of pride knowing you’ve taken a huge step forward and created a foundation of success for future generations.
You’ll have a deep sense of peace because you’ve left your loved ones a financial AND spiritual legacy that will set the tone for everyone moving forward. You’ve done your part and set an incredible example!
You’ll never worry about estate taxes or probate again.
You can sleep easy knowing you’ve prevented the horror stories and worst case scenarios.
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So how does it work?

Build Your Asset Inventory

Before, when you wanted to share your assets with your Estate Planning attorney, you would need to create your own list, specify exactly what happens to each asset, and hope the Estate Planner understands everything. Sometimes they would provide a form or checklist for you to use, but in most cases you would be left to your own devices.

We’ll never leave you out to dry like that. When you work with us, we’ll…

  • Send you proprietary templates to record your assets (see below);
  • Provide clear instructions on how to specify what happens to each asset, as well as a simple template for documenting those requests;
  • Help you catalog your assets and confirm that the list is accurate and complete;
  • Send you a summary of the assets and a second confirmation before we draft anything, just in case something slipped your mind during the first call;
  • Store a duplicate copy of your Asset Inventory in case yours is lost or damaged.

Guided Design

In the past, if you wanted to design your own Estate Plan, you would have to hire an attorney at an hourly rate, tell them what you wanted, and hope they were able to get everything right on their first attempt so you didn’t have to keep racking up hourly fees for every change. The structure of that arrangement virtually guarantees there will be mistakes.

With my firm, you’ll go through a step-by-step process that helps you design the Estate Plan of your dreams without racking up huge attorney fees or having to sacrifice on quality. You can have your cake and eat it too!

Summary Review

I’ve worked with many clients who already have Estate Plans that failed to capture their wishes. This happens all the time, and it’s because many lawyers don’t do the hard work of explaining how everything works and making sure you, the client, are fully satisfied with the plan.

But isn’t that what you’re paying for in the first place? This is a critical step, and yet it’s so often missed. Well, not anymore. When you work with my team, we prioritize this part by using visualizations to explain everything in an easy-to-understand way.

Concierge Drafting

When you work with other firms, you’ll send them your info and then wait for weeks without knowing what’s happening. This is beyond frustrating and can ruin the whole experience!

We understand the importance of good communication, and we don’t skimp on it. Here’s what you can expect when you decide to work with us:

  • Family Wealth Planning Session
    We design your asset inventory and have it ready for your design meeting. We will go over exactly what would happen to you and your family if something comes up and then you will know exactly how to plan around anything that does not match your desired directives.
  • Day 1
    We take everything that we designed together and start working on your summary to confirm your plan
  • Day 7
    You receive your summary of information for you to review.
  • Day 14
    You return your summary to us with missing information and any corrections, if applicable.
  • Day 15
    We review your changes and we start drafting.
  • Day 30
    We have your signing ceremony where we review your entire plan and present it to you for signature. If there are any changes you see that need to be made, we make them on the spot.
  • Day 45
    We deliver your full estate plan binder as well as electronic copies of all files.

Time Capsules

Even if you made it through the typical Estate Planning process without errors or omissions, chances are you would still need to develop your own strategy for passing on your emotional and spiritual legacy. Most Estate Planners simply aren’t in the business of helping you do that.

We are.

We understand that Estate Planning isn’t just a set of legal documents. It’s the last love letter you ever write, and it’s important to write something that will resonate with your loved ones as well as generations to come.

Family Support

Usually, when you get an Estate Plan from another attorney, they give you a set of documents and call it good.

But there is so much more to do! And one of the key elements is to make sure everybody is notified and understands exactly what their role is.

Unlimited Changes

Last but not least, how do you keep your shiny new plan updated over the years?

In most cases, you’d have to pay hourly fees every time something changes. And let’s face it, that’s not the kind of arrangement that encourages you to follow through. The costs are ambiguous and it feels like you’re being penalized for doing the right thing.

We offer a special VIP plan that allows you to set a budget and forget it. We’ll touch base with you on a regular basis and ensure everything is updated and fully documented. We’ll also modify your plan as needed, at no extra cost, so you can tweak things down the road if you realize you don’t like the way you set things up originally. 

  • Initial Drafting
    We’ll provide you both physical and digital copies of your Estate Plan, as well as your Diagram and Asset Inventory.
  • Year 1
    We’ll reach out to schedule a meeting where we can update your assets and anything else that has changed.
  • Year 3
    You will get an email reminder to reach out to us if there are any changes every three years thereafter during the life of our relationship
  • As needed
    VIP Members can reach out and update their plan at any time and for any reason.

Are you Serious About Financial Freedom?

Now if you wanted to get this job done before using a regular flat rate service and paying for hourly fees, it would cost you at least $40,000. Ultra wealthy clients don’t even blink at a price point like that, but of course it’s simply out of reach for most people.

When you work with our firm, you will get this level of value for a fraction of the cost.

Here’s what you get:

  • Asset Inventory
    Develop a foundation of wealth with an accurate list of your assets that stays updated and store a secure copy with us, just in case.
  • Guided Design
    Skip the research and guesswork and design the Estate Plan of your dreams at a faction of the time it would take otherwise.
  • Summary Review
    Prevent simple mistakes or misunderstandings from derailing your plan. We’ll catch potential errors with our thorough review process.
  • Concierge Drafting
    Enjoy an elite level of service! We’ll keep you notified throughout the drafting process and you can ask questions or even make changes.
  • Time Capsules
    Leave a spiritual legacy for the people you care for most. This is the last love letter you’ll ever write - we’ll help you make it amazing!
  • Family Support
    Notify your family and friends of your new Estate Plan and their role in it. This includes a group call so everybody can ask questions and get comfortable.
  • Unlimited Changes
    Update your plan at any time, for any reason. The #1 reason Estate Plans fail is because they are outdated. We’ll keep you up and running the entire time!

Instead of paying +$40,000 for these services, which the top 1% routinely pays, we are offering this to you for a fraction of the cost!

All you need to do is book a free meeting.

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Hurry! We Have Limited Seats

Because we provide a high level of service, we are only able to take 20 clients at a given time. These seats fill up fast, so make sure you act now or you may need to join our waiting list.
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Get A Free Asset Inventory

Now, because you are reading this article, I’m going to do something special:

For a limited time, I’ll be giving you a Family Wealth Planning Session at no charge. During this call, we’ll build out your Asset Inventory and you can keep that regardless of whether you decided to move forward or not.

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Act now, There Is Zero Risk

Best of all, I back everything up with a guarantee. Once we start, you’ll have 14 days to evaluate our service. If you decide you don’t want to move forward for any reason whatsoever, you can get your money back. No questions asked.
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How To Get Started

So let’s wrap things up. Here’s what you get if you decide to move forward today:

  • Asset Inventory
  • Guided Design
  • Summary Review
  • Concierge Drafting
  • Time Capsules
  • Family Support
  • Unlimited Changes

If you act now, I’ll also throw in a free Family Wealth Planning Session, and you can keep your Asset Inventory regardless of whether you decide to move forward with us or not. Just remember, I can only work with 20 clients at a time.

Grab a spot now! There’s literally no risk. You’ll have 14 days to evaluate our service and can get your money back at any time for any reason. All you need to do is book a free meeting.

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FAQ

Category: Family

Yes, an Estate Plan is a good way to create this type of scenario.

Here are some common examples:

  • College degrees or level of education
  • Passing certain requirements around business (ex: submitting a business plan)
  • Substance abuse (or lack thereof)

This is something that comes up during our design process so you can think through what types of requirements or criteria should be added before giving out certain portions of the inheritance.

Category: Business

It depends on what you’re trying to do:

  • Estate Planning is about passing your assets along to other people or organizations. 
  • Succession Planning is about ensuring the business remains operational once you are gone and involves your attorney, accountant, financial planner, and operations team.

PriceWaterhouseCoopers did a study of 1,600 family-run businesses and found the following:

  • 36% of these businesses survived passage into the 2nd generation;
  • 19% survived into the 3rd generation;
  • 7% continued into the 4th generation.

If you want to make sure your business survives and retains its value, then succession planning is something you should take a serious look at.

Category: Technical

No. The Trust may help prevent a lawsuit because it holds assets anonymously and may therefore make it harder for someone to sue, but the Estate Plan is different from an Asset Protection Plan.

You can add Asset Protection elements into your Estate Plan. This includes things like:

  • Anonymity of assets with a Trust
  • Separation of assets to prevent spillover
Category: Technical

The Trust will help with privacy. People will not be able to see the people or assets inside the Trust.

A Will does not help with privacy. It is filed in Probate Court and becomes a public record.

Category: Business

Yes, that can happen.

Everything becomes more complicated as your estate grows. The more assets you have, the more tax implications and hands are in the pot.

There are also different levels of planning you can buy, depending on how much you are willing to spend. For example, you could set up an offshore trust in Nevis. You’d have to pay $25,000 just to get your foot in the door.

This is one of the reasons we recommend starting the Estate Planning process as soon as you have assets worth preserving, even if it isn’t much. This will simplify things as you grow because you have already established a baseline and organized your current assets.

Category: Questions

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3fEXioBfJtI

Even if you are uncomfortable about death, you can still think about it as a way to help you live life to the fullest.

I have a necklace from Ryan Holiday with the phrase “Memento mori,” which means “Remember that you have to die”.

So many people try to avoid this thought and end up feeling stressed or anxious about the future. But they are stressed out for a reason…

Remember: failing to plan is planning to fail.

I’ve found that simply going through the process of planning for the inevitable is truly freeing in so many ways.

Category: Family

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdIl78zlDuo

Many of the people I work with had to fight for everything they got. They were first generation successes and want to break this cycle of generational neglect.

An Estate Plan is the perfect way to protect your children and make sure they have opportunities that you didn’t get. It allows you to pass down your inheritance in a structured way that ensures your family is protected and provided for without enabling bad behavior or creating unnecessary drama.

Category: Family

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8OSJTX6bBM

Ultimately, it’s a personal choice that depends on what your morals are and whether you will regret doing so.

If you do not want someone to be able to inherit from you, it is well within your rights to disinherit them. And if you and this person get along again, you can simply update your documents to reflect that change. It’s that easy.

Category: Family

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOQXax74Hws

Why not? You would be surprised how many people DON’T know they have inherited something. 

Did you know:

Your beneficiaries definitely need to know there's something out there for them, even if you don’t tell them exactly what it is. This way you can avoid the all too frequent confusion that goes hand-in-hand with poorly executed Estate Plans.

For example, I have a client who inherited land and didn’t know about it for 15 years. Now he has to go through an intensive research process to figure out what he needs to do, whether he owes back taxes, etc…

This is one of the reasons we help our clients inform their families and even provide free education to avoid this exact type of scenario!

Category: Family

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKDfIoTW2jw

You should certainly consider these things during the Estate Planning process. 

For example, one of my clients wants to pass down business ownership to his children, but not his children’s spouses.

The key here is to understand what you are trying to avoid. This is what the design process is for, to help you think through the ideal future and different scenarios that may come up.

Category: Questions

This is important to think about, it’s how you create a generational legacy.

For example, in my family, we don’t allow family members to be placed into Nursing Homes or similar care facilities. We do whatever is necessary to keep them at home or with family.

You can do the same thing with your family. This allows you to pass down guidance about how you want to treat your loved ones and relate to the world around you. It gives your children and future generations a jump start on thinking through values. And it creates a strong sense of purpose, belonging, and family identity.

This is one of the things we cover during our design process.

Category: Questions

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zs2c9vtqOOE

Wealth does not have to just be the assets that you've acquired during your life. It can also mean the values that you want to impart to the next generation.

Category: Business

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u__l-1MMizQ

Imagine a scenario where your partner passes away. His portion of the business is inherited by his spouse. Now you are business partners with the spouse.

How does that make you feel?

  • Do they know anything about your business? 
  • Do you want them making decisions about how your business should operate? 
  • Do you have a good working relationship with them?

If you have even the least amount of hesitation or concern, then you may want to plan for that contingency. There are tools designed to help protect you and the business from this type of scenario. For example, a “buy-sell agreement” or “business succession planning.”

An Estate Plan is a cheap insurance policy against this type of worst case scenario.

Category: Family

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWTAtUXeJeU

Think about it: if you have two children and you make one child responsible for giving out the financial benefits of your Estate Plan, are siblings going to continue getting along?

It might be fine in some cases, or it might not. It depends on the people involved. But it’s important to know that this can absolutely impact your family dynamics and it’s important to think through that impact ahead of time so you can prevent unnecessary drama.

This is one of the key benefits of having an Estate Plan and it’s something we handle up front during the design process.

Category: Technical

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYcnRzGVabY

In short, a Trust allows you to specify how things should be used, whereas a Will allows you to hand over total control.

For example, let’s say you give your brother $1,000 for your nieces college fund:

  • If you do this with a Trust and your brother is the Trustee, it’s his job to transfer those funds to your niece at the time and in the manner specified in your Trust.
  • If you do this with a Will, then if the money goes to your brother (for your niece) there is no way to make sure it gets to her at all. If you say it goes directly to your niece, she could use it to buy a new tv instead of for college. It gives total control to the person you name to receive it. 

This is something we go through during the design process to help you decide which type of document to use in different situations.

Category: Technical

Estate Planning includes several different types of documents and services. 

Here’s what we provide as a baseline:

  • Pour Over Will
  • Trust Agreement
  • Power of Attorney
  • Advanced Healthcare Directive
  • Personal Property Memorandum
  • Assignment of Personal Property
  • Asset Inventory
  • Funding Instructions
  • DocuBank Membership
  • Kids Protection Plan
  • Legacy Interview

There are many other things that can be added, such as a Pet Trust, a Special Needs Trust, etc… These can be addressed during the design meeting.

Category: General

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OtpEExh78Ak

Estate Planning doesn’t have to be all or nothing. You can create the initial components right away and add on as you accumulate more assets.

  • 77% of American believe Estate Planning is important, regardless of wealth (Edward Jones)
  • 74% of working age people globally plan to leave an inheritance (HSBC)
  • An Age Wave/Merrill study found that:
    • 8% plan to give everything away while they're alive.
    • 27% plan to give everything away after they pass away.
    • 65% of Americans over 55 plan to give away some of their money while they're alive.

In general, most people start planning for the future as they age and accumulate knowledge and wealth.

By Age
A Gallup survey conducted in 2016 shows how many people have a Will by age range:

  • 14% of Americans (18 and 29)
  • 35% of Americans (30 and 49)
  • 56% of Americans (50 and 64)
  • 68% of Americans (+65)

By Education
That same Gallup survey also shows the number of people who have a Will based on their level of education:

  • 61% have a postgraduate degree
  • 50% have a college degree
  • 47% have some college
  • 32% have a high school education or less

By Income
This Gallup survey also shows those who have a Will based on household income:

  • 55% making more than $75,000
  • 38% making between $30,000 and $74,999
  • 31% making less than $30,000
Category: Business

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcEPjSMWstY

Have you ever wondered what would happen to your business if you weren’t around? If you haven’t, then let me shed some light on a few scenarios:

First, there is the concept of a “key man.” If you are gone and haven’t formulated a plan, your business will struggle to operate because everything runs through your knowledge and relationships. Vendors, customers, service providers, intellectual property or patents - all of these come back to you.

How do you ensure that the business continues to thrive and provide income to your family when you are gone? 

This is one of the reasons why Estate Planning is even more important for business owners than regular folks. If you are a business owner, you need to take this seriously and plan for emergencies so that your family is taken care of if you aren’t around to keep things running.

Category: General

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2sSqSspb5pY

There can be a lot of unfounded fears that surround Estate Planning. One that comes up sometimes is that “if you plan for it, then it will happen.”

I can assure you that’s not the case. In fact, “failing to plan is planning to fail” is a much better mantra when it comes to this type of thing.

There are many of these types of myths. Here are several more reasons from Caring.com about why people don’t have an Estate Plan:

  • 74% of American adults believe that Estate Planning is a confusing topic. (WealthCounsel)
  • 36% say they “haven't gotten around to it.”
  • 30% say they "don't have enough assets to leave.”
  • 7% say they believe “it's too expensive.”
  • 6% say they “don't know how to write a Will.”

Remember, 77% of Americans believe Estate Planning is important, regardless of wealth. They are just busy with day-to-day life and haven’t taken the time to think about their future.

Don’t let simple negligence impact your loved ones! Break the generational failures and set an example of planning for the future health and wealth of your family.

Category: General

This is ultimately based on you and what you value. However, there are several reasons why people create Estate Plans in general. 

Here are some examples from an Age Wave/Merrill study:

  • To be a good parent & spouse
    71% of American adults say that having an estate plan would make them feel like a good spouse or parent.
  • To be responsible & considerate
    52% of Americans over 55 believe passing away without an estate plan or other end-of-life plan would be “irresponsible." Meanwhile, 22% say it would be “inconsiderate," and 14% say it would be “ignorant."
  • Because it’s the right thing to do
    47% of Americans over 55 leave an inheritance because they believe it's the right thing to do.
  • To cover costs
    42% do so to cover their funeral and end-of-life expenses.
  • Because it’s the parent’s duty
    39% of men and 30% of women over 55 in America believe it's the duty of parents to leave their children an inheritance.
  • To provide security
    38% do so to give their family a sense of security.
  • To avoid drama
    35% of American adults say they have personally experienced family conflict or know someone who has experienced family conflict as a result of not having an estate plan or will in place. (WealthCounsel)
  • To get peace of mind
    32% do so to give themselves the peace of mind knowing that their family is taken care of.
  • To leave a memory
    23% do so to give their family something to remember them by.

Here are a few more reasons people talk about:

  • To ease the burden
    This was often cited as one of the top benefits of estate planning and other end-of-life planning. (Age Wave/Merrill)
  • To avoid probate
    • The probate process can cost up to 10% of an estate. Detailed Estate Plans can reduce the likelihood of a long, expensive probate process. (LegalZoom)

It can take anywhere from a few months to more than a year (or even years) to probate a will. Estate Planning can prevent this. (LegalZoom)

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