The Estate Planning Process
Step 1 - PREPARATION
Once you contact our office and make an appointment for an initial consultation, offered at no charge, you can either download a form designed to help you organize your family and financial information, or call our office and we will mail one to you. Bring the completed form to your first meeting with Clancy.
Step 2 - CONSULTATION
This is where you come to the office (Springfield or Branson) and Clancy learns about you and your loved ones; both in the personal and financial context. You learn about the law and the opportunities you have to craft an estate plan that meets your goals and objectives.
Step 3 - DESIGN
This is where we get specific about your family situation, and learn details about beneficiaries, family members and so on. Based on those specifics, we design your estate plan and discuss the necessary legal tools to implement in your specific situation. Trusts, Wills, and Powers of Attorney are just a few of the tools we may discuss.
(Steps 2 and 3 are usually accomplished in one 60-90 minute meeting, but we will take two meetings if necessary. There is NO CHARGE to you to get through Step 3. All fees and expenses are discussed at the end of the design process.)
Step 4 - IMPLEMENTATION
About three weeks after your estate plan is designed, it will be time to return to the office and sign your documents. Your estate plan is now real and your family and property are protected.
Step 5 - FUNDING
The most important, ongoing part of any estate plan is making sure your assets are properly titled. Put another way, making sure the right name on your property and assets is essential to your estate plan’s success. At our office we can either directly handle this issue for you or provide you the tools to do it yourself. In either event, we are always available and eager to answer your funding questions in the future.
(Steps 4 and 5 usually are completed at the same meeting.)
Step 6 - FAMILY MEETING
This is one of the most important meetings Clancy has with a client. After the beneficiaries and decision-makers are decided upon, Clancy has them all come to the office (Springfield or Branson) and explains your wishes in a non-threatening environment. This gives you a forum to express your wishes, and Clancy an opportunity to explain the process to all parties, ultimately keeping you in control of your estate.
From addressing the issues of disability to making sure your inheritance is a blessing, and not a curse, to your beneficiaries, an estate plan is a flexible, active process designed to direct actions and activities, specific to your unique situation, when you are no longer able.
Once your estate plan is in place, it is important to maximize the relationship we create with you and make sure you stay current given the changes in the law and in your family and financial situation.