When a client passes away.


When a client passes.

As an Estate Planner, you plan for a client to pass away.  You do your best to help them “leave a legacy of peace and not a legacy of chaos”.  You help them create “The Plan”.

Even though the topic of death is discussed every day in my office, it still has an impact on me when I get the call or email that:

“Mr. Jones died Friday.  I just wanted you to know.”

Their passage leaves a mark. 

As an attorney, hopefully, I spent enough time with the client to make sure their wishes were accurately reflected.

As a person, I may remember a laugh that we shared as we discussed their wishes.  I may remember what a delight (or tyrant) they were in our discussions.

As a person of faith, was their salvation secure? 

While the business of Estate Planning anticipates the passage of a client, I don’t know that as a person, you are ever fully prepared. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

My advisor helped me leave my estate to my cat.

Image
This is a true story, from a lady who was in my office witnessing a client signing her Will.   It is also an example of the unlicensed practice of law.   I am both an attorney and an insurance agent. I have two (2) licenses. One (1) was hard to get. One (1) wasn’t. Guess which one (1) fits each category.   There is a lot of argument in the insurance and financial world about helping clients draft their Wills, Trusts and Powers of Attorney while getting paid to do so. Why?  Money .   Tennessee defines the practice of law as: As used in this chapter, unless the context otherwise requires: (1) “Law business” means the  advising or counseling for valuable consideration  of any person as to any secular law,  the drawing or the procuring of or assisting in the drawing for valuable consideration of any paper,   document or instrument affecting or relating to secular rights, the doing of any act for valuable consideration in a r...
Read more

Shh! Don't talk about Fight Club!

Image
  SUPER NERDY ALERT Did you ever watch the movie "Fight Club"?  If so, the persistent line throughout the movie is "Don't talk about Fight Club!"  Why?  Well, watch the movie. As many of you know, the i ntersection of law and insurance simply fascinates me.   Here's an instance of that:   All U.S. states have a State Guaranty Association.   These associations insure life and health insurance companies in case of failure.  Failure is rare, but it happens from time to time.  As both an insurance agent and an attorney, I have seen the results of this.  In that situation, the Guaranty Association worked out very, very well.  Consumers need to know that this program exists.  Who better to tell them than their insurance agent? For banks, consumers know that the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) exists.  For their brokers, they know that the Securities Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC) exists.  How?...
Read more