Services > Will Planning
Estate Planning
Who gets what when you're gone? How will you be remembered? What do you want to do with the assets you don't use in your lifetime? Who needs help after you are gone?
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Legacy Now! estate planning services include:
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Pre-will discussions
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Referral to a professional to draft a will
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Communication to all parties concerned
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Will companion
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Executor assistance
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Implement legacy plan
LEGACY NOW!
Legacy Now! Is a planning concept designed to promote intergenerational communication about important core values, traditions, folklore and the distribution of family wealth. Blue Sky Financial Planning has used the book “Willing Wisdom“ by Tom Deans as the basis for developing this concept for their clients. Grant and Jim have interviewed the author and have hired Tom to conduct seminars for their clients, their executors, their children and their grandchildren.
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The starting point for this important conversation is the Will. The Will, for both the parents and the children, is the legal document which gives direction to the distribution of assets. By itself, it is dry and technical, so it needs a conversation to bring it to life and bring out the thinking and intentions of the testator. Over 50% of North American adults do not have a will so the first and most critical step of the Legacy Now! planning concept is the preparation before the will is drafted (or reviewed) to formulate intentions and decide,”Who gets what when you are gone.” Once this exercise is completed, we refer our clients to the best qualified estate planning legal team to prepare the Will, Power of Attorney and Medical Directive.
WILLING WISDOM
Check out the Willing Wisdom Index video here. It is a valuable tool to test the readiness of your estate plan. Grant and Jim provide a complimentary access code to their clients as part of their Legacy Now! planning process.
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With a current Will in hand, family members are ready to meet and talk about their legacies, now. Not after someone dies, but now, when the conversation can be about so much more. Every family will have their own unique conversation – and we recognize that, at first, it may be a bit awkward – but we suggest using all or any one of the following topics from Tom’s book to get things started;
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What word best describes our family? Share a family story that helps explain the word you selected.
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Describe how your parents acquired their wealth. Share a memory of something your parents did to provide for you that left a lasting impression.
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How would an inheritance advance your dreams for yourself, your family and your community?
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In the context of planning for the division of your assets, does fair mean fair or does fair mean equal? Who are you planning on leaving your wealth to and will you share a copy of your Will with me?
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Describe how your parents divided their assets and when you first learned of the contents of their Will. What will you do the same and what will you do differently?
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Describe the role you play or played in the final care of your parents. Can you name one thing that was or is being done well, and one thing you could change or wish you had done differently?
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Describe in detail your last wishes.
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Over time, families may develop new topics and each generation will bring something unique to the conversation, but, above all else, just have the conversation. After all, ”Death is what you make it.”