Dear Advisor, stop referring me out! I want your help with my Estate Plan! 

An 2nd open letter from financial planning clients

Dear Advisor,

Previously, I sent you a letter expressing why I lie each year saying “This is the year I will get my estate plan done.”   I have thought more about this and I have a request to make that would really really help me and my family.

At one point in my life I knew that I needed a financial plan.  I wasn’t feeling rushed to get a plan, retirement was still years away.  Then I met you.  Now I have a financial plan and a ton of peace of mind that I didn’t fully realize I was lacking. 

I’m grateful, but it seems I now have the exact problem with getting my estate plan done.  Here is why I believe you should help me complete it!

Getting a financial plan in place seemed intimidating, overwhelming and complicated.  You expertly guided me through it and got me to a good place.

You have been a great behavioral coach for me. I need a trusted advisor who sees what I can’t see and jumps in to help me get me where I need to go.  You did a great job guiding me through the financial planning process.  Is there any reason why these skills of yours wouldn’t translate over to helping me get my estate plan complete?

You already have most of the information that is needed to create an estate plan.

Do I really have to start from scratch with someone new when I could start on 2nd base with you? You also have context of my overall situation, all my accounts and beneficiary designations. I know it will be far less effort on my part to work with you and I’ll have the peace of mind that my overall situation will be aligned with my estate plan.

I already trust you with intimate conversations about death, legacy, and my family dynamics.

You remember that I have used that Kleenex on your desk in our past conversations right?  Even if it is the first time we meet I know it won’t be the last time we speak to very emotional topics in the years ahead.

You have proven you can make the complex easy to understand.

Hey, remember how I told you my previous advisor loved showing me the standard deviation and sharpe ratios of my portfolio?  Yeah that’s why I now work with you instead. You don’t overwhelm me with complexity and you make everything so much easier to understand by speaking my language. 

Is there a solution you have where I won’t have to spend thousands of dollars for a high quality document?

There must be a technology solution that can bring down the cost and deliver a high quality document.  A solution where we keep it updated over time, and involve you in the process of helping me through each step. I know you can’t give me legal advice, but I am sure with good general information I can make the proper decisions for my plan. 

Can you please go and find that solution?

Thanks again,

Your Client