November 25, 2014

Most people putting together a comprehensive estate plan may involve other professionals like a CPA, Financial Advisor or Insurance Professional, but you should always be cautious of anyone outside the realm of a certified individual to be giving you advice for your estate plan. Often, these can come in the form of people who are solely motivated to sell annuities and life insurance, and they may lead you to believe that they are experts in the law. 

There are two common ways that these individuals get you to buy in to the offer: it typically begins with a free lunch or dinner offer for “estate planning advice” and then follows with a high-pressure push asking for an in-house visit to discuss ideas with them further. These people will end up offering you some kind of Trust or legal document, but the person likely is not an attorney.

We are blessed to work with many holistic financial advisors & insurance professionals who incorporate sound life insurance and sensible annuities strategies, for sure. And there may even be legitimate people out there offering trusts, but it’s misleading to make you think that you’re working with an Attorney when you’re not. Anytime you meet with someone claiming to be an “expert” or “professional” ask to see their credentials. If they are offering estate planning advice and making you think he or she is an Attorney or has an “in-house” attorney who will “take care of everything cheap”, be wary & verify the details. A legitimate estate planning attorney likely has a list of credentials, details of which can be easily confirmed. For advice from a New Jersey estate planning firm with years of experience, contact our office today at info@lawesq.net.