Estate Planning – Who to Go to
Lawyers. CPAs. Financial planners. Life insurance agents. Bank trust departments. Appraisers.
Unless you prepare the documents yourself, you must use an attorney. The planning can be done by one or more additional professionals.
I personally think CPAs do the best job planning and assisting their clients. There are many reasons. CPAs have better facility with analyzing the situation with meaningful and relevant financial models. We have experience gathered from seeing the end result of many of our clients’ plans and can apply that to current planning. CPAs are thorough, don’t have hidden agendas and are there to follow up and assist in implementing the plans. CPAs that perform estate planning are forward thinkers. We connect the dots and tie in loose ends, look to identify as much potential as possible for unintended consequences and make their involvement a cost-effective value filled way to proceed. CPAs help clients articulate their thoughts so the planning results in the proper estate plan.
Last week I presented a speech to colleagues at the Accounting Today Growth and Profitability Summit in Florida illustrating 57 ways a CPA can assist clients in estate planning.
I previously posted blogs on estate planning on May 22, August 2, 9, 28, October 2 (tax rates), 9 and 11. You can search this site for them, or email me at [email protected] and I will send you a single file with those blogs.
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