3 reasons people avoid estate planning

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Even if don’t handle estate planning, you can probably guess the most common reasons people use to avoid going to the dentist, uh, lawyer. Most people believe they need to do it but many don’t. According to this article, these are the 3 most common excuses:

  • Too busy
  • It’s too complicated and/or expensive
  • Superstition (don’t want to think about dying)

The article offers a few suggestions about things to do if you’re not ready or willing to see a lawyer, such as sharing passwords and a detailed lists of assets and debts, et. al., with loved ones, and using an online service to create a Living Will and/or a Will and Power of Attorney (but isn’t this estate planning?)

Anyway, if you handle estate planning, you probably send clients and prospects a questionnaire or checklist to fill out before their first appointment

Why not use it for people who don’t have an appointment?

Here’s what I mean.

Create a checklist or questionnaire that not only has spaces for them to record information you will need when they do see you, but also explains why that information is important.

In other words, explain the rationale behind estate planning so they can see why they need to do it immediately.

Your questionnaire should also provide some simple things they can do (such as sharing passwords, making a list of assets, etc.). If they do any of these things, they will have begun to think about estate planning, which might make them a bit closer to making an appointment.

Don’t overwhelm them or you might scare them into doing nothing. You might make this a preliminary checklist, to get them started and thinking about their “stuff”. Give them a comprehensive version once they make an appointment.

You should do this even if you don’t do estate planning.

Ask an estate planning friend to provide you with a questionnaire you can send to your clients. Your clients benefit, your friend will get some new clients, and you score points with everyone.

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