Planning is the Gift of Love
Bruce Beaty, ChFC, RICP – VP Business Consultant
February, otherwise known as Hallmark and florist appreciation month, is the month for love. There are different types of love; amorous, romantic love, puppy love, and the love we have for our families, children, etc.
You are uniquely positioned to help clients express their love to their loved ones in so many different capacities. But perhaps the most important way is to help your client have a plan.
Ask yourself, why don’t people plan? What parent would not want to spare their child pain, or avert disaster for a surviving spouse? What patriarch or matriarch wouldn’t want to improve the life paths of their children and grandchildren? Who doesn’t want to create a legacy?
Planning is the epitome of expressing love to the family. Think about it, why would someone not have a plan for retirement, long-term care, life insurance, or estate planning? Not having a plan does not mean the prospect does not care, it means they are scared or they do not understand the topic the way you do. If they did, they would have a plan.
Being prepared can help avoid pain and create positive moments. Imagine facilitating conversations between clients and their heirs, collaborating on their estate planning rather than waiting for the
posthumous bomb to drop in the attorney’s office. What if that dialogue included spending money during their lifetime to celebrate the family, for what would have otherwise gone to probate and estate taxes?
Envision the freedom that is created with a lifetime income plan, and how that frees up resources for things like helping the children start that business or buy that home? It is all about creating value and giving permission to spend and enjoy where possible.
Picture the gift that is created with leverage, like long-term care planning that protects the estate from spend down or protects the surviving spouse from impoverishment.
Consider also the multi-generational approach to life insurance. I cannot imagine how we get through the future without a significant increase in taxes and potentially a volatile economy. The gift of large life insurance death benefits may make the difference between the “haves and have-nots” of the future.
Here is a closing thought, helping clients to create a Legacy is primarily about lessons and values they impart to their families, however creating the financial resources to accompany those lessons brings that transference to life.
If you are not helping your clients protect their assets from probate, estate settlement fees, and the headaches associated with the estate planning process (both during life and after) it is time to start, and we can help you. If you are not proficient at creating retirement income blueprints that help clients create income floors they cannot outlive, dig in with us. If you are not yet comfortable with creating generational wealth, don’t wait! Call us today for assistance and resources to help you master these sales opportunities.
