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Estate Planning Needs Checklist:
How To Discover The Best Strategies For You And Your Family

Estate planning is a process that can touch just about every area of your life. To help you determine which estate planning goals are most important to you, please take a moment to fill out this confidential questionnaire about your priorities for yourself and your family. This information is solely for your use in helping you evaluate various estate planning strategies. The information you submit is not sent to anyone or stored by our firm. We don’t expect you to show us your answers, although we will be glad to review them with you, if you so desire.

For each of the statements below, rank them 5 for “Very Important,” to 1 for “Unimportant.”

PART I. THE GOALS THAT MATTER TO YOU TODAY

IF I SHOULD BECOME SO INJURED OR ILL THAT I CAN’T MANAGE MY AFFAIRS FOR MYSELF:		Unimportant		Very Important
		1	2	3	4	5
1.	I want to choose the person or persons who will be responsible for overseeing my personal care and financial affairs; otherwise the courts will appoint someone for me who may not be my choice.
2.	I want to avoid conservatorship: a public proceeding where I’ll be declared incompetent and for which I’ll have to pay all legal and court costs.
3.	If my illness or injury is grave, I want my wishes for my final medical treatment followed. For instance, I want the ability to refuse heroic measures and invasive medical procedures if there’s no hope of recovery.
4.	If I am unable to act on my own behalf, I want someone I trust empowered to make health care decisions for me.
5.	Should I require long-term nursing care, I want to protect my assets and my spouse’s financial security. I understand that without careful planning, my spouse could be forced into destitution just so that I can be eligible for government assistance programs like Medicaid.
6.	I’ve been a successful investor, and now I want to reduce capital gains taxes on highly appreciated assets I own.
7.	I have a family-owned business that I want to protect from the ravages of lawsuits, taxes and other potential losses.
8.	I want maximum asset protection for my estate to safeguard it from potential lawsuits or creditor action.

PART II: YOUR CONCERNS ABOUT THE FUTURE:

		Unimportant		Very Important
		1	2	3	4	5
1.	After my death, I’d like my spouse and children to receive their inheritance from me as quickly, privately and efficiently as possible.
2.	I want to avoid probate, a public hearing which disposes of my estate, which may be time consuming and costly. It may also take months or even years before my estate transfers to my heirs.
3.	I want to leave behind a legacy to a charitable or nonprofit organization I admire and I want to generate tax breaks and income for myself and my family.
4.	I have a special-needs child who requires special care, and I want to make sure my child is well provided for long after I’m gone.
5.	I have life insurance to protect my loved ones, and I want to ensure that they use its proceeds wisely. I also want to ensure that my life insurance doesn’t create estate tax problems for my family.

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SERVICES

Estate Planning Services
Assistance with Living Trusts, Wills (simple & complex), Powers of Attorney, Living Wills, Irrevocable Trusts, Family Limited Partnerships, and Charitable Giving.

When Loved Ones Pass Away
Probate Assistance, Trust Administration, and Probate Litigation.

Incapacity Planning
Assistance in pre-planning the handling of a client's affairs in the event they become disabled before passing away.

Business Planning
Business Succession Planning, Small Business Planning, and Lawsuit and Asset Protection.

Elder Law & Medicaid Services
Helping clients qualify for government benefits legally and ensuring their estates are preserved in the process.

Estate Planning for the GLBT Community
Guidance and assistance with Living Trusts, Health Care Powers of Attorney, and Asset Distribution.

Second Parent Adoption
Learn more about this new legislation in Colorado.

Planning for Those With Special Needs
Assistance in creating plans with disabled family members in mind.

Financial Advisor Education Corner
Comprehensive resource center that includes timely Educational Alerts and FYIs, along with Continuing Education Programs for Financial Advisors, covering fundamentals to advanced estate planning and taxation topics.

DocuBank
DocuBank® keeps health care documents on file for people who want to have those documents available at a moment's notice..

Financial Planning Assistance
Helping clients preserve their wealth and achieve their long-term financial goals.