"Why Should I Go To A Workshop?"     What is the Truth About Estate Planning Workshop? We periodically (at least monthly) teach a free educational workshop called the “Truth About Estate Planning” workshop.  These workshops provide you with an overview of estate planning, the costs of estate planning, some of the personal planning opportunities that few people know about and few attorneys tell you about, and some basic tax planning strategies.     Who attends these Workshops? Three categories of people: (1) Incoming clients -- people who want us to help them do their planning and are ready to get started. (2) Financial Advisors -- this includes investment advisors, stock brokers, trust officers, accountants, and insurance professionals. (3) Invited or referred guests -- people who are thinking about doing estate planning and are referred to us for information, usually by their own financial advisors or by our existing clients.     Please look at the following list.  If 2 or more items on the list apply to you or your family, you should attend one of our Truth About Estate Planning Workshops!     □  I want to protect my loved ones' inheritance     □  I want to minimize estate tax     □  I have an existing Will or Trust over 3 years old     □  I have no Will or Trust     □  I have loved ones with special needs     □  I don't know how much my attorney will charge to probate my estate or settle my         Trust in the event of my disability or death     □  I have a large retirement plan     □  I am actively considering retirement options or am nearing age 70     What if I just can’t find the time to attend? We don't like when our clients start discussing their estate plans without that client having some knowledge about estate planning.  However, special accommodations may be made if you cannot attend one of the workshops.  If you cannot attend one of our workshops, we are available to meet with you to privately discuss your estate planning needs.  Remember, consultations to discuss your estate planning needs are FREE.     What happens after the workshop? We are committed to making sure your estate plan works for you.  After the workshop, the next step is to schedule an appointment to meet so that we may take down some information and discuss what type of planning is right for you.  Follow-up meetings may be necessary to discuss your estate plan in more detail.  The next step is to review together all of the plan documents.  Once we know that the plan documents are complete, and that your estate plan works for you, the next step is to sign your plan documents. After that, there may be some short follow-up visits, including meetings to fund the plan.  Total counseling time from the initial meeting through the funding meeting averages between 9 to 12 hours.     What if I don’t like what I hear at your workshop? Everyone who attends one of our workshops at least walks away with a lot more information about how to approach estate planning.  Look at it this way, you will be trading a couple of hours of time to gain some useful information which will make you more knowledgeable when discussing your estate plan.     Call us at 800-501-3220 to find out more about our workshops or to register for one of our upcoming workshops. Register online for one of our Truth About Estate Planning Workshops. Learn More about our Truth About Estate Planning Workshops via email.     Return to the list of Estate Planning topics.