“Thank you for taking the time to meet with me. This is meant to be a conversation, not a presentation. I’m going to ask you some questions and take a few notes so I can understand your family, what you already have in place and what matters most to you. Then we can look at whether anything deserves additional attention. Does that sound all right?”

Once expectations are clear, begin with a simple question:

“What prompted you to schedule the Family Legacy Review™?”

Listen carefully to the answer.

Do not treat it as a formality before moving to your next prepared question. Their answer may reveal the concern, family event or uncertainty that made this conversation important to them.

FOLLOW THE ANSWER

When the family shares something meaningful, remain with it long enough to understand it.

You might ask:

“What makes that important to you?”

“Tell me a little more about that.”

“How long has that been on your mind?”

“If something happened unexpectedly, how would you want things to go for your family?”

Do not ask every question. Choose the question that naturally follows what the family just shared.

The first answer often tells you the subject.

The second question helps you understand why it matters.

Before changing subjects, ask at least one appropriate follow-up question when the family’s answer deserves greater understanding.

FAMILY

Listen for spouses, children, grandchildren, dependents, trusted people and family circumstances that may affect what they want to accomplish.

GOALS

Listen for the family’s desire for ease, privacy, organization, incapacity planning, avoiding unnecessary court involvement or preserving a legacy.

CURRENT DOCUMENTS

Learn what they believe exists, when it was created and whether it has been reviewed.

Do not diagnose documents or criticize the person who prepared them.

ASSETS

Identify the major asset categories involved, including a home, bank and investment accounts, retirement accounts, insurance, business interests, vehicles and other significant property.

DECISION-MAKERS

Explore who the family would trust to handle financial and healthcare matters if assistance were needed.

IMPLEMENTATION

Learn what the family knows or does not know about titles, beneficiaries, trust funding and access to important information.

ORGANIZATION

Explore whether the appropriate people could locate the family’s documents and instructions if they were needed.

CONFIDENCE

Listen for the areas where the family feels secure and the areas where they remain uncertain.

“I DON’T KNOW” IS USEFUL DISCOVERY

Do not rush to fill in an answer for the family.

When someone says, “I don’t know,” you have discovered an area of uncertainty.

Record it accurately.

Ask an appropriate follow-up question when needed.

Do not immediately declare it a problem or decide what the family must do.

A “What if?” or “Imagine this...” question can help a family think through what would actually happen if its planning had to work today.

The purpose is not to create fear.

The purpose is to help the family consider a realistic situation and discover the answer for themselves.

For example:

“What if something happened tomorrow and you could not handle your financial affairs? Who could legally step in?”

“Imagine your daughter needed to find everything and begin handling things for you. Would she know where to start?”

Ask the question.

Listen to the answer.

Follow what they say instead of rushing to the next prepared question.

The Family Legacy Review™ should feel like a guided conversation, not a checklist of questions.

Maintain eye contact.

Acknowledge what the family shares.

Use transitions between subjects.

Allow silence.

Take useful notes without disappearing into the packet.

The Meeting Packet should support the conversation, not replace it.

Practice opening a Family Legacy Review™ until you can:

• Thank the family naturally.
• Explain the purpose without sounding rehearsed.
• Set the expectation that you will ask questions and take notes.
• Reduce pressure rather than create it.
• Ask what prompted the Review.
• Follow the first answer with an appropriate second question.
• Move naturally into learning about the family.

Conduct a seven-minute discovery conversation with another person.

The other person should answer only what you ask.

Afterward, evaluate whether you:

• Avoided jumping to a recommendation.
• Used appropriate follow-up questions.
• Allowed silence.
• Recorded useful notes.
• Learned who and what mattered to the family.
• Recognized uncertainty without turning it into a conclusion.
• Followed the family’s answers rather than mechanically following a script.

After practice, answer:

1. What worked?
2. What would you change?
3. What will you do next time?

YOU SHOULD BE PREPARING TO:

• Open the Review as a guided conversation.
• Explain what the family should expect.
• Ask what prompted the Review.
• Learn who and what matters before discussing solutions.
• Use The Second Question Rule™.
• Explore the approved discovery areas naturally.
• Use realistic scenarios without creating fear.
• Recognize “I don’t know” as useful discovery.
• Take useful notes while remaining present in the conversation.
• Complete discovery before reaching a conclusion.