Like all Foster Group client services, our estate planning process begins with questions – and surprisingly few of them are about money. We need to understand where your heart is. What your goals are. For whom do you want to provide care after you’re gone. How much control you want over how your gifts will be used. There are always competing goals in giving to family or charitable causes, and everyone’s priorities are different.

Clients tell us they appreciate the way we help them think through these considerations. And we can serve clients better when we’re all on the same page.

Very few of our clients come to the planning process with precise dollar amounts in mind for their heirs and charitable causes. Through open-ended conversations, we can help you work through these specifics, while accounting for relevant tax and planning considerations.

Once the basic estate plan decisions have been made, it’s vital that the plan and any required documents mesh very efficiently. There may be revocable trusts established for your children and charities. There may be irrevocable trusts to reduce estate tax and retain more control. Special needs trusts can help provide resources and preserve access to valuable Government benefits. Life insurance trusts may be used to create estate tax liquidity. And everything must be in sync.

We can give you the names of attorneys who we know do great work for families like yours. We’ll prepare a list of questions for you to ask or have top of mind. We can he there with you. We can review the drafts your attorney prepares to make sure nothing’s lost in translation.

Then, we can help you get over the finish line – signing documents, retitling accounts and assets, helping to get your estate plan adopted and put into practice.

Over the life of your estate plan, we recommend reviews every three to five years. Significant tax or legislation changes could trigger an earlier review, as well as major life events – such as a new family member, the sale of a business, retirement, or a large inheritance.

If you have a larger balance sheet and more complex assets, you may be worried that an inheritance can be a burden to your children and grandchildren. At Foster Group, we’re often asked to help educate children and heirs. Through family meetings and other events, we expose them to investment and financial decisions earlier in life – and help you pass along the values you hold dear.