Over my years as an advisor I have had the pleasure of helping families reach their financial goals. This process goes beyond investment advice and management and includes tax planning, insurance planning and estate planning.
When clients make the decision to put their trust in us to help them plan for their future, the burden of keeping track of investment account information is greatly reduced. However, we recognize the immense importance of individuals understanding and keeping a record of their investments, particularly in regard to their estate.
I have been blogging about our estate organizer each month in order to highlight areas of life that should be included in your estate plan. Investments are not exempt from this record keeping.
If you are struggling to know exactly what your executor will need to know about your investment accounts, our organizer includes space for information about your financial professionals, bank accounts, investment accounts, personal property and residential assets.
Items to address include the estimated value on these accounts/items, along with the company they are held with, and whether or not they are jointly owned. It would be helpful to record the primary and contingent beneficiaries listed on each account. Be sure to update these records as often as they are changed with the investment companies.
Aside from helping your executor close out your estate, taking stock of these accounts all together can provide a big picture view of your financial net worth. It is understandable that this topic can feel overwhelming, especially with the various types of accounts and the unfamiliar vocabulary that can accompany them. For this reason our estate organizer includes an extensive glossary. A similar glossary is available on our website should you need to reference it during the process of estate planning.
Investments are our “bread and butter” which makes us an excellent tool for you to access for your investment related estate planning needs. Aside from getting the investments you already have in order, if you would like more information about the various types of accounts available and how they may benefit you, please give us a call. And, if you would like to begin the process of getting your “ducks in line,” ask for a copy of our estate organizer and get started today.
Until next time, cheers!
Jim