The conversation that keeps generational AUM.

Subject: A different kind of question for our next meeting Hi [First name], When we sit down next quarter, I'd like to spend 15 minutes on a topic we've never really covered: what happens to all of this if something happens to you? I'm asking now — proactively, not reactively — because the families who navigate this transition well are almost always the ones who talked about it before they had to. The families who get stuck are the ones whose adult children meet their parents' advisor for the first time at the funeral. Three small things would help me prepare: 1. Have you updated your beneficiary designations on retirement accounts and life insurance in the last 5 years? 2. Do your adult children know who I am, what I do for you, and where the account information is? 3. Have you and [spouse/partner] talked through what you'd want to happen if one of you couldn't make decisions? None of these need a formal answer before our meeting. Just thinking about them is the assignment. There's also a free resource library I've been sharing with clients — the family side of estate planning, written in plain English, by a real estate professional who's been in the room when these transitions happen. The 47-point checklist there is the easiest starting point: [yourfirm.planyourpassing.org/resources/checklist] See you on [meeting date]. — [Your Name] [Firm Name] · [Designation, e.g., CFP®, ChFC®] [Phone] · [Email] [Required compliance footer per your CCO]

Subject: A study that changed how I work with families Hi [First name], I wanted to follow up on the estate-planning question I raised last month with some context — not a sales pitch. Industry research (Cerulli, Hartford Funds, PwC) consistently shows the same pattern: when a wealth-management client passes away, about 70% of their heirs leave the family's advisor within a year. Almost never because of performance. Almost always because the advisor hadn't met them. I don't bring this up to scare you. I bring it up because the fix is simple and you can do it BEFORE any transition is imminent. It's called a family meeting — a 60-90 minute structured conversation between you, [spouse/partner if applicable], and your adult children, where we walk through: • What you actually own and where it lives • What your wishes are for managing it if you can't • Who has authority for what (POA, healthcare proxy, executor) • The questions your kids haven't known how to ask It is not a will reading. It is not a fight. It is your story, told once, on the record, with one impartial advisor in the room who can answer follow-up questions when they arise. If you'd like to do one, reply to this email and I'll send three proposed dates. There's no fee. I do this for clients who want it. If you'd rather your adult children just have a resource to read on their own first, the family playbook at [yourfirm.planyourpassing.org] is where I'd send them. — [Your Name] [Firm Name] [Required compliance footer]

Subject: One specific question — would you like your kids in our next meeting? Hi [First name], This is the kind of question that's easier to ask in writing than on a call, so I'm putting it here. Would you like to bring [son/daughter name] — or both of your adult children — to our next meeting? Not as an account-handover. Not because anything is wrong. Just so they meet me, see what we do together, and know who to call when something eventually happens. This is a normal thing in multi-generational planning. We do it for several of our families every quarter. The agenda I'd suggest: 1. Brief introduction — them to me, me to them. 15 min. 2. The structure of what we do for you, at the level of “here's the philosophy.” Not specific dollar amounts unless you want to share. 20 min. 3. The estate-planning piece — POAs, beneficiary alignment, what happens when one of you can't sign. 20 min. 4. Q&A. 15 min. I can host at our office, or by Zoom if your kids are out of town. Three answers, any of which is fine: 1. Yes, let's set it up. (Reply with three dates.) 2. Not yet — I'd like to think about it. 3. No — let's keep things as they are. If you'd like to send your kids a preview of what we'd be talking about, the family playbook is here: [yourfirm.planyourpassing.org] — [Your Name] [Firm Name] [Required compliance footer]

Cerulli Associates publishes data that should change how every financial advisor works with families approaching wealth transfer. The number: ~70% of inheritors fire their parents' advisor within a year of receiving the inheritance. It is almost never about returns. The portfolio was usually allocated correctly. Performance was usually fine. The advisor usually liked the family. The advisor had just never met the kids. The fix is not complicated. It is not technical. It is one 60-minute meeting, scheduled while everyone is healthy, between the advisor, the client, and the adult children. We call it a family meeting. The advisors who do them retain ~70% of the next generation. The advisors who don't retain ~30%. 40 percentage points of generational retention. That is the difference between a practice that ends when your top clients pass away, and a practice that compounds across generations. I built my practice around this kind of conversation. I just launched a co-branded family-planning resource for my clients — plain-English scripts for the questions adult children don't know how to ask, the 8 documents every adult needs, the 50-state probate guide, the executor playbook, the inherited-property decision tree. If you're a family currently working with an advisor and your adult children have never met them: ask for the introduction. Most of us would welcome it. If you're not yet working with an advisor and would like to think through what generational planning would look like for your family: the free Family Estate Readiness Checklist is at [yourfirm.planyourpassing.org/resources/checklist]. And if you're another advisor reading this and want to compare notes on running family meetings — DM me. I'll send you what's been working. — [Your Name], CFP® [Firm Name] [Required compliance footer / hashtags per your CCO]

Three months ago, the adult son of a long-time client called me. His dad had passed. He'd inherited my client number, but he didn't know me. His first question wasn't “how is the portfolio doing.” It was: “Where is everything?” He didn't know: • Which bank held the operating account • Whether dad had a Roth or a Traditional IRA (or both) • If the house was owned outright, mortgaged, or in a trust • Who the beneficiaries were on the life insurance • The password to dad's email These are the questions that come up the week after a death — when the adult child is sleep-deprived, grieving, and trying to act as executor without ever having been trained for it. Every advisor has the answers to these questions about every client. The problem is the adult children don't know we have them. They don't know to call us. They start from zero, at the worst moment. A family meeting is the inoculation against this. 60-90 minutes, once, while everyone is well. The adult children meet you. They see what you do. They get the rolodex of professionals (you, the CPA, the attorney). They know who to call before the call comes. I do these for clients who want them. No charge. If your advisor hasn't offered one, ask. If you don't have an advisor and would like to think through what this looks like — message me. — [Your Name] [Firm Name] · [Designation] [Required compliance footer]

Slide 1: The 8 documents every adult needs. (And which one most families forget.) Slide 2: 1. Will. What it actually does, what it doesn't do. Slide 3: 2. Revocable Living Trust (for some families). When the trust is worth it, when it isn't. Slide 4: 3. Durable Power of Attorney. The document you need BEFORE you need it. Slide 5: 4. Healthcare Power of Attorney. Who decides when you can't speak. Slide 6: 5. Living Will / Advance Directive. Your wishes in writing. Slide 7: 6. HIPAA Authorization. Often forgotten. Makes the POA usable. Slide 8: 7. Letter of Instruction. Not legal — but the most-read document your family will receive. Slide 9: 8. Digital Legacy Plan. Passwords, social accounts, crypto. (This is the one most families forget.) Slide 10: The full breakdown is at [yourfirm.planyourpassing.org] Plus the free 47-point Family Estate Readiness Checklist for any client who hasn't started. — [Your Name], CFP® [Required compliance footer]

1/ Industry research is consistent: about 70% of inheritors fire their parents' financial advisor within a year of the inheritance. It is almost never about returns. It's because the advisor never met the kids. 2/ The fix is one 60-minute meeting. While everyone is healthy. With the advisor, the client, and the adult children. It's called a family meeting. The data on advisors who run them: retention jumps from ~30% to ~70% of next-gen assets. 3/ Most advisors don't do them because they feel awkward to initiate. The truth is the clients are usually relieved when you bring it up. They've been wondering when the kids should meet you. They just didn't know how to ask. 4/ If you're a client of an advisor and your adult children haven't met them: ask for an intro. Most of us would say yes. If you're an advisor reading this: schedule three meetings this quarter. Just three. Track what happens. 5/ For the family playbook — scripts, checklists, what to say, 8 documents every adult needs: [yourfirm.planyourpassing.org] [Required compliance disclosure]

FRONT — VISUAL: Black and white photo of three generations at a kitchen table. (Stock photo with diverse, non-specific representation.) FRONT — HEADLINE: The conversation we should be having. FRONT — SUBHEAD: Estate planning, family meetings, and the questions your kids haven't asked. FRONT — LOGO BLOCK: [Your photo] [Your Name, CFP®] [Firm Name] [Phone] yourfirm.planyourpassing.org BACK — OPENING: 70% of inheritors fire their parents' advisor within a year of inheritance. It is rarely about returns. BACK — BODY: At our next review, I'd like to spend 15 minutes on the family side of your planning: • Have you and your kids talked about what happens? • Do they know who to call? • Are your beneficiary designations current? These are the questions that should be answered while everyone is healthy. We can. BACK — OFFER: Reply with your preferred meeting time to schedule. Or bring your adult children to our next quarterly review. BACK — COMPLIANCE BLOCK (small print): [Your Name], [Designation]. [Firm Name], a [BD or RIA name] registered investment advisor. [Required disclosures per your CCO.] Educational use only. Not investment, legal, or tax advice.

PRE-MEETING (1 week before) Send the client (parent) a one-page agenda preview and the link to the family playbook. Ask them to invite their adult children. Confirm location (your office, their home, or Zoom). Confirm any account-specific info they want to share (or not). OPENING (0:00–0:15) — INTRODUCTIONS You introduce yourself to the kids. Brief professional bio. How long you've worked with their parents. How you typically work. Emphasize: this meeting is not about the kids inheriting, it's about them meeting you and seeing what you do for their parents. The parents introduce the kids — names, professions, geography. This is human, not transactional. Set expectations for the meeting: “We won't be discussing specific dollar amounts unless mom/dad chooses to. We will be talking about how things are structured, who has authority for what, and what to do if something happens.” THE STRUCTURE OF THE PRACTICE (0:15–0:35) At a high level, what does the family own and how does it work together? Walk through (in client-approved depth): • Investment accounts — joint? individual? IRAs? Trusts? • Real estate — primary residence, second home, rental • Life insurance — face value range, beneficiaries • Retirement income sources (Social Security, pension, annuity) • The philosophy behind the allocation (don't get into specific holdings unless asked) THE DOCUMENTS (0:35–0:55) Walk through the 8-document framework. Which of these does mom/ dad have? When were they last updated? Who is named as: • Executor • Successor trustee • Durable POA • Healthcare proxy • HIPAA-authorized parties CRITICAL: Do these named people know they were named? This is the moment to ask in the room. Often the answer is no — and this is when you say, “Then this meeting is the notification.” THE TRIGGERS (0:55–1:15) Spend 20 minutes on the “what happens when” scenarios. • Mom/dad is incapacitated but alive — what changes? • One of them dies — what changes for the surviving spouse? • Both pass — what's the sequence the kids should call us in? • A child wants to support the parents financially — what's the cleanest way to do it without disrupting tax planning? • Someone needs care (assisted living, in-home) — how do we pay for it without disrupting the estate plan? This is the highest-value 20 minutes of the meeting. The kids almost always have questions they've been afraid to ask. THE NEXT STEPS (1:15–1:30) Three things the family agrees to do in the next 30 days: 1. Update any documents older than 5 years 2. Confirm beneficiary designations match the will 3. Make sure each named person (executor, POA, healthcare proxy) knows they were named and where the document is Schedule the next family meeting — quarterly, semi-annual, or annual depending on family complexity. Some firms put this on a recurring calendar invitation for the whole family. POST-MEETING Send a one-page summary email to all attendees within 48 hours. CC the parents. Include only what was discussed openly. Never share account values or specific holdings to children without the parents' explicit pre-meeting authorization. Update the family playbook portal with the family's named emergency contacts and document locations (in a place only the family can access). Schedule the next meeting and put it on the calendar.

AUDIENCE: Existing clients + 1-2 invited friends/family per client. Cap at 40 attendees for intimacy. Best venues: client's country club, your office's conference room, a private dining room at a restaurant. DURATION: 90 minutes + 30 minutes of pre-event coffee + 30 minutes of post-event networking. ARC: 0:00–0:10 — Welcome + the $50 vase story 0:10–0:25 — The 8 documents framework 0:25–0:40 — Generational asset transfer math (estate tax, step-up basis, gifting strategies at the level of "what to think about" — not "what to do" — this is education, not advice) 0:40–0:55 — The family meeting + why we run them 0:55–1:10 — Real-estate decisions in estate plans (the four options + step-up basis interaction) 1:10–1:25 — Q&A (anonymous index card format works best) 1:25–1:30 — Close + invitation to book a follow-up POST-WORKSHOP CONVERSION: Aim: 30%+ of attendees book a 30-min follow-up within 2 weeks. Track this by having a calendar link at the bottom of the attendee handout. Send a follow-up email within 24 hours with the workshop slides and the calendar link again. COMPLIANCE NOTES: • Pre-event approval of slide deck by CCO • If recording, disclosure that “this is not specific investment advice and does not consider individual financial situations” on every slide • Capture attendee names + opt-in for follow-up (CAN-SPAM compliance) • Required disclaimers on the handout

Subject: Building a referral track for [CPA Firm Name] and [Your Firm] [CPA First Name], I've been working with a few mutual clients of ours and wanted to suggest something more structured. You and I touch the same families at different points in the estate timeline. You see them during tax season and in the year of a death event. I see them quarterly through retirement and generational transition. Right now we're both doing this work in parallel without coordinating. The families would benefit from us sharing notes more deliberately. Two specific proposals: 1. A standing 30-minute call once a quarter. We don't share confidential client data — just discuss themes, regulatory changes, and any complex situations either of us is working through where the other's specialty would help. Each side stays in scope. 2. A joint Family Estate Readiness Workshop, twice a year. You present the tax side. I present the investment + family meeting side. We split the room. Both firms get credibility and a small flow of new prospects. Co-branded on the materials. I built a family-side resource library at [yourfirm.planyourpassing.org] that pulls together both perspectives — the tax math and the investment side. The state-by-state probate guides are useful for your final-return work. Feel free to share with your clients. Do you have time for a 30-minute coffee or Zoom in the next 2 weeks? — [Your Name], CFP® [Firm Name] [Required compliance footer]

Subject: Coordinating with [Attorney Last Name] on the [Family Name] trust [Attorney First Name], I'm the financial advisor for the [Family Name]. They mentioned they'd recently set up (or updated) their revocable living trust with you. I wanted to introduce myself and offer a more coordinated working relationship as the trust matures. A few things I'd like to align on: 1. Trust funding status. Are all the accounts (brokerage, retirement, real estate, life insurance) properly titled or beneficiary-designated to the trust? If anything is still in individual name that should be in the trust, I can handle the re-titling on the investment side and copy you on the paperwork. 2. Successor trustee. The successor trustee should know they were named, have a copy of the trust document (or know where it lives), and have my contact information. If you haven't already covered this with the family, I can include it in our next family meeting. 3. Tax interaction. If there are any tax-sensitive provisions (QTIP, charitable, marital deduction), I want to make sure we're not creating unintended events through portfolio rebalancing or distribution timing. I also have a family-side resource library at [yourfirm.planyourpassing.org] that I share with clients between our meetings. It's plain-English (not legal advice) and might be useful for your clients who want background reading before they sit down with you. Would 20 minutes on the phone next week be useful? — [Your Name] [Firm Name] [Required compliance footer]