Inheritance Navigation & Administration

Inheritance can be a blessing and a curse

The good news: it’s possible to preserve your family’s wealth, and resources without burning bridges

Talking about inheritance can be difficult because it rolls up subjects like family, money, and death into a tricky package. But that doesn’t mean you have to let conflicts in the family escalate and resort to litigation.

We come in to guide benefactors and executors during estate planning and settlement, assist with navigating expectations with family members, and provide personalized wealth maintenance coaching to heirs to avoid family feuds as well as erosion of family wealth and prestige in the long term.

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As an affluent benefactor...

You want to distribute wealth in your family in an equitable, tax-efficient, and conflict-free manner.

But you’re worried about the longevity of the cash flow because some of your beneficiaries may not have a healthy relationship with money.

You realize that this calls for proactive wealth preservation guidance for your beneficiaries. The direction needs to match their lifestyle and level of financial savvy and come from an objective perspective so that the estate can be settled without feuds and the money stays in the family.

Or maybe as the executor...

You’re dealing with a lot of emotions while preparing for one of the most challenging responsibilities of your life.

You want to become a better decision-maker and communicator to lead your family to a consensus without sparking conflict and estrangement.

Most importantly, you want to avoid the tremendous financial costs of intra-family litigation while ensuring the beneficiaries have the guidance and resources to become responsible stewards of their inheritance.

Why our clients partner with us

We empower our clients to resolve inheritance-related conflicts amicably and equitably in complex estate settlement situations.

Nationally Certified Professional Mediator

Settlement of an estate after a death in the family often prompts old family disputes to surface. But litigation rarely heals differences or promotes understanding. We lead with clear communication and negotiation skills and guide our clients to stay open to creative solutions so their family’s wealth, prestige, and interpersonal relationships can be preserved.

Personalized Financial Coaching

Not everyone in the family has the same level of financial responsibility and education. We come in to fill those knowledge gaps, reframe beliefs around money, and guide them to become responsible stewards of their inheritance. As a neutral third party, we’re able to create a deeper impact and awareness than a regular family intervention.

Network of Trusted Partners

There’s a lot to untangle when it comes to responsible inheritance administration and navigation. We want the best for our clients and connect them with trusted professionals in our network - attorneys, CPAs, investment managers, etc. - so they can get objective advice and make informed decisions at every step as benefactors and executors.

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Our customizable solutions

What happens when you work with us

We combine and leverage these solutions based on each client's financial goals and inheritance navigation circumstances to provide high-touch, personalized guidance.

Data Gathering & Organization

Whether you’re meeting with your attorney to set up the estate as the benefactor or carrying out your responsibilities as the executor, having key financial data itemized and digitized on a platform like Quicken can reduce friction.

We handle this necessary step to ensure that our clients do not have to deal with administrative tasks that take them away from more pressing matters.

Asset And Trust Document Analysis

We analyze and value a family’s assets and liabilities so that our clients can understand the scope of the estate and entitlements. Using the last 3+ years of tax returns, we uncover any hidden assets and other possible anomalies to ensure complete transparency and peaceful estate settlement.

The reports we prepare also ensure that asset distribution is carried out equitably and in accordance with the benefactor’s terms.

Holistic Wealth Retention Consulting

Once the estate has been distributed, we equip individuals and families to transition to the next stage of life and ensure they have the necessary skills and resources to succeed.

This looks different for everyone and depends on their level of financial education, experience with financial responsibilities, lifestyle, risk tolerance, financial goals, and motivations.

Essentially, we empower beneficiaries to become financially independent with personalized strategies that preserve their financial foundation and increase the longevity of their inheritance.

Uncovering Tax Implications Of Estate Settlement

We organize the estate’s financial information and collaborate with our client’s CPA and attorney to uncover the tax implications of the testator's death. The data we gather and the reports prepared during the process leads to a smooth tax-filing process for all beneficiaries.

Private Trustee Services

We partner with benefactors and executors to function as non-fiduciary trustees of an estate and protect the estate’s assets as an objective third-party. Often, we come on board to ensure the trust our clients set up for their heirs is handled responsibly when it comes to withdrawals, maintenance, and sizable expenses.

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FAQs

1. When is the right time to engage your services as a benefactor?

The best time to start working with us as a benefactor is during the early stages of estate and succession planning.

We not only support our clients in organizing key financial data that can improve the quality of support they get from their CPA and attorney but also guide them in navigating inheritance-related conversations with beneficiaries to set the right expectations. If required, we proactively provide wealth retention guidance to individuals or the family as a unit.

This prevents disputes from surfacing during estate settlement and mitigates problematic financial behavior in the family (such as leading an inflated lifestyle, not focusing on wealth retention, not setting up a firewall to safeguard family resources from predatory relationships, etc.).

2. When is the right time to engage your services as an executor?

We should be one of the first ones you call after a death occurs in the family. Everyone handles grief differently, and estate settlement sessions can become tricky to manage if you’re not careful.

We come in to set expectations with the beneficiaries in line with the benefactor’s wishes. When inheritance-related information comes from a neutral third party, it reduces the chances of conflict in the family. We also assist you in navigating difficult conversations with various stakeholders and provide personalized wealth retention education and guidance to beneficiaries to set them up for long-term financial security.

3. How is this service different from the support I can get from my attorney?

Attorneys can guide you through the legalese in estate documents and educate you about your rights. However, they’re not trained in personal finance or mediation to facilitate financial foundation discussions. We work with attorneys on a regular basis, who provide vital support to our clients. For the most seamless inheritance navigation experience, our clients appreciate having someone who is equipped with the financial expertise to provide estate settlement advice in accordance with the family’s or each member’s financial reality.

As certified mediators and experienced wealth engineers, we look at resolving inheritance-related conflicts creatively and holistically. Our services assure the integrity of financial data through organization and analysis, keeping the peace within the family, and collaborating with key stakeholders like attorneys and CPAs. Most importantly, ensuring all beneficiaries transition into the next phase of life with robust wealth retention strategies that promote long-term financial well-being and security.

4. I’m an heir who just received their inheritance - is this service for me?

Great question - this service is not for you if you just received your inheritance. However, we invite you to check out our Personal CFO service, where we guide you to make intelligent decisions about your money so it lasts and you achieve long-term financial security.

Inheritance navigation doesn’t have to be a disruptive event during a stressful time

Partner with us to keep the peace and keep the money in the family.

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