MODULE 4 | CURRENT PLANNING WITHOUT DIAGNOSING
Stage 3 | Family Legacy Review™ Qualification
Discover it. Clarify it. Help the family decide.
FOUNDER VIDEO 4 | CURRENT PLANNING WITHOUT DIAGNOSING
PURPOSE OF THIS MODULE
Many families who complete a Family Legacy Review™ already have wills, trusts, powers of attorney or professional advisors.
Your job is not to prove that those documents or professionals are wrong.
Your job is to understand what the family believes is in place, identify questions based on what they share and help determine whether anything should be verified or reviewed by an appropriate qualified professional.
RESPECT THE WORK. IDENTIFY THE QUESTION.
DO NOT DIAGNOSE THE DOCUMENT.
WHAT YOU CAN DO
As a Legacy Specialist, you can:
• Ask when the planning was completed.
• Ask whether the family’s circumstances or wishes have changed.
• Explore the family’s understanding of its documents.
• Ask whether titles, beneficiaries and funding have been reviewed.
• Identify uncertainty based on what the family tells you.
• Record questions that deserve verification.
• Explain general estate-planning concepts in plain language.
• Arrange qualified professional review when appropriate.
WHAT YOU CANNOT DO
Unless you are separately qualified and acting in that professional role, do not:
• Determine whether a legal document is valid or invalid.
• Interpret legal provisions for the family.
• Tell the family that an attorney made a mistake.
• Declare that a trust is unfunded without verification.
• Give individualized legal or tax advice.
• Guarantee how a court, agency or financial institution will respond.
• Criticize another professional to create a reason for the family to buy.
• Recommend changing documents before the appropriate review has occurred.
WHEN THE FAMILY ALREADY HAS A TRUST
Having a trust is useful information. It is not the end of discovery, and it is not evidence that something is wrong.
You can explore:
• Whether the trust still reflects the family’s current wishes.
• Whether significant family circumstances have changed.
• What the family understands about trust funding.
• Whether ownership and beneficiary information have been reviewed.
• Whether the family knows where the documents are located.
• Whether the appropriate people know how to begin using the plan.
• Whether any questions should be verified or professionally reviewed.
RESPONDING TO COMMON STATEMENTS
THE FAMILY SAYS:
“My attorney did all of this nine years ago.”
STRONG RESPONSE DIRECTION:
Respect the work that was completed. Ask what has changed and what has been reviewed since then.
You might say:
“It is good that you completed the planning. Since then, have there been any meaningful changes in your family, assets or wishes?”
THE FAMILY SAYS:
“I already have a trust.”
STRONG RESPONSE DIRECTION:
Acknowledge the planning. Explore implementation, confidence, organization and whether the plan still reflects the family’s wishes.
You might say:
“That is helpful. How confident do you feel that the trust still reflects what you want and that the appropriate assets have been connected to it?”
THE FAMILY SAYS:
“Can you tell me if this trust is valid?”
STRONG RESPONSE DIRECTION:
Do not determine validity. Identify the question and arrange qualified review.
You might say:
“That is a legal question that should be answered through qualified review. I can help make sure the question is clearly identified and routed to the appropriate professional.”
THE FAMILY SAYS:
“My financial advisor handles the beneficiaries.”
STRONG RESPONSE DIRECTION:
Respect the advisor’s role. Ask when the designations were last reviewed and coordinate appropriately.
You might say:
“That is good to know. When were those beneficiary designations last reviewed with your advisor?”
THE FAMILY SAYS:
“The house is definitely in the trust.”
STRONG RESPONSE DIRECTION:
Record the family’s understanding. Verify later when verification is part of the approved process. Do not argue.
You might say:
“I’ll record that as your understanding. If ownership verification is included in the next step, we can confirm it rather than make an assumption.”
DO NOT COMPETE WITH THE FAMILY’S ADVISORS
An existing attorney, financial advisor, tax professional or insurance professional may remain an important part of the family’s planning team.
Do not create distrust simply to position yourself or Claim My Legacy™ as the solution.
When coordination is appropriate:
• Respect the existing professional relationship.
• Identify the specific question that needs to be answered.
• Obtain the family’s permission before involving another professional.
• Share only the information necessary for the question.
• Record the handoff and follow through appropriately.
LANGUAGE DISCIPLINE
Prefer:
“This may need review.”
“Let’s verify that.”
“Based on what you have told me...”
“That sounds like an area where you have already done some planning.”
“That creates a review question.”
“That is a question for qualified review.”
“I’ll record that as your current understanding.”
Avoid:
“This is wrong.”
“I know that is not funded.”
“Everybody needs...”
“Your attorney missed this.”
“This trust is invalid.”
“That plan will not work.”
“You need to replace everything.”
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN EDUCATION AND DIAGNOSIS
EDUCATION
“A trust generally controls property that has been properly connected to it.”
DIAGNOSIS
“Your trust does not control your house.”
EDUCATION
“Beneficiary designations can affect how certain accounts transfer.”
DIAGNOSIS
“Your beneficiaries are set up incorrectly.”
EDUCATION
“Changes in family circumstances can make a plan worth reviewing.”
DIAGNOSIS
“Your documents are too old to work.”
EDUCATION
“A qualified professional can review that provision and explain how it applies to you.”
DIAGNOSIS
“That provision is invalid.”
WHEN YOU DO NOT KNOW
Do not guess.
You can say:
“That is a good question. I do not want to guess or give you an incomplete answer. Let’s identify exactly what needs to be reviewed and make sure it reaches the appropriate person.”
Credibility does not require you to know every answer.
It requires you to recognize the boundaries of your role and handle the question responsibly.
BOUNDARY PRACTICE
For each situation, decide:
- What can you accurately acknowledge?
- What follow-up question can you ask?
- What conclusion must you avoid?
- Does the matter require verification or qualified professional review?
SCENARIO 1
A family brings a trust prepared twelve years ago but cannot remember whether it has been reviewed since.
Do not say:
“This trust is outdated.”
Consider asking:
“What has changed in your family, assets or wishes since the trust was prepared?”
SCENARIO 2
A family says its home is in the trust but cannot locate a deed.
Do not say:
“The trust is not funded.”
Consider saying:
“I’ll record that the home is believed to be in the trust. That is something we can verify rather than assume.”
SCENARIO 3
A family asks whether a particular trust provision is legally enforceable.
Do not interpret the provision.
Consider saying:
“That requires qualified legal review. Let’s record the exact question so it can be answered properly.”
SCENARIO 4
A family says its financial advisor updated all beneficiary designations.
Do not challenge the advisor’s work without evidence.
Consider asking:
“When was that review completed, and do you have a current record of the designations?”
SCENARIO 5
A family’s adult child says the parents’ existing attorney did everything incorrectly.
Do not agree with the accusation.
Consider saying:
“I understand that you have concerns. Let’s identify the specific questions so the appropriate professional can review them rather than reach a conclusion without the necessary information.”
THREE-PART DEBRIEF™
After practice, answer:
- What worked?
- What would you change?
- What will you do next time?
YOU SHOULD BE PREPARING TO:
• Respect planning that has already been completed.
• Explore current planning without criticizing another professional.
• Separate education from individualized advice.
• Identify uncertainty without converting it into a conclusion.
• Use neutral and accurate language.
• Explain when verification is appropriate.
• Recognize questions that require qualified professional review.
• Coordinate respectfully with existing advisors.
• Say “I do not know” without losing credibility.
• Remain within the Legacy Specialist role.
READY TO CONTINUE?
When you can discuss existing planning, identify genuine review questions and maintain clear professional boundaries without diagnosing documents or criticizing previous professionals, continue to Module 5.
When prompted, use the same Stage 3 password you used to access this module.