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How to Find the Perfect Estate Planner: 6 Tips
Estate planning is a necessary part of life. It involves making a will, creating trusts, naming an executor and beneficiaries, funeral arrangements, and making donations. An estate planner is an expert attorney, who will arrange and handle all of this for you. It’s always worth hiring an estate planner because they can help to reduce the amount of tax that your beneficiaries have to pay on your estate, after your death. As with anything, it’s important that you find the best estate planner that you can.
In this article, we will tell you six tips for finding the perfect estate planner:
Finding an Expert
Wherever you look for an estate planner, it’s very important that you find one who’s an expert in what they do. According to Redwood Financial, an estate planner will control your assets to ensure that your beneficiaries receive the money that they’re due in a tax-efficient way. If you care about your loved ones’ inheritance, then you need to find an estate planner carefully. The estate planner that you hire needs experience, qualifications, and to be completely professional. Don’t waste your time with underqualified and inexperienced estate planners, who risk the financial security of your loved ones after you’re gone.
Online Directories
As with all types of attorneys, you can find estate planners listed in online directories. These directories typically rank estate planners according to their rating, which will usually be calculated by a star system. While five-star estate planners will usually be very expensive, they’re definitely worth the investment. If you can’t afford a top-rated estate planner, then make sure you find the best that your budget permits. Make sure to do outside research, including reading the estate planner’s reviews, testimonials, and any other information that’s listed about them online.
Referrals from Friends
Another good way to find the perfect estate planner is by asking for referrals from your friends. If your friends are a similar age to you (or older), then it’s likely that they’ve already handled – or will be handling – their estates. You could also consider asking any of your family, who are a similar age to you. Referrals from friends and family are great because they’re never biased. Your loved ones have no reason to exaggerate an estate planner’s abilities and instead will be very direct. Make sure that you interview any estate planners that you’re referred to before you hire them so that you can be confident they’re right for you. What’s right for somebody else isn’t necessarily always going to be right for you – bear that in mind.
Community Referrals
If you’re plugged into your community, then you could ask around locally for the names of any estate planners. The good thing about asking around in your community is that, like your friends and family, there’s no reason for anybody to make any biased suggestions. If anybody does, then it will reflect upon them poorly and potentially damage their reputation. With that said, be aware that somebody may exaggerate a relative or friend’s abilities and refer them to you, purely out of the goodness of their hearts. That’s why you should always research anybody that you’ve been referred to, regardless of how highly somebody might talk about them.
Ask Other Attorneys
If you know any local attorneys or have worked with attorneys in the past, it might be worth dropping them an email and asking them if they know any good estate planners. The legal community is all interwoven. An attorney you have previously dealt with may have a sister firm that specializes in estate planning, that they can refer you to. They might also have friends or former colleagues who specialize in estate planning law. Most lawyers will never make biased referrals, because it will damage their reputation and make them look unprofessional. You could even call around to attorneys who you aren’t familiar with, to ask if they have any suggestions.
Online Questions
Websites like Quora and Reddit give legal specialists a platform to answer questions and advertise themselves. If you’re looking for an estate planner, it may be worth checking out these websites. It’s a long shot that you’ll find any estate planners who are local to you, but you can still get in touch with the estate planners there and ask if they know anybody in your area that they can recommend. You could also ask a direct question about estate planners in your area, which might result in one popping up.
If you’re worried about what will become of your finances after your death, then you need to hire an estate planner. Not all estate planners are the same, however. For your estate, you need the most professional estate planner that you can. With this article, you’ll be able to find them.
