Wills and Trusts Course

This course is a concise and practical guide to what every insurance professional should know about the law of Wills and Trusts - as well as a range of other matters! while advising others. Before and during the design of a client's estate plan, the professional can provide value as part of the advisor team.

In many scenarios, life insurance products can play a critical role in assuring the financial security the client is looking for. It is the professional's job and duty to explain how and why. Getting to a trusted position where that is possible, however, is the challenge. This course is based on real questions, concerns, and issues encountered over many years, among people at all economic levels, from modest to quite substantial. There is no better way to build trust, confidence, and respect than to become a source of knowledge on the topics and issues presented here.

There is an unfortunate, widespread misconception that wills, trusts, and estate planning are subjects of interest only to the wealthy. In fact, an estate plan provides the legal mechanism for disposing of property upon death in a way that recognizes wishes and the needs of one's survivors, while minimizing taxes. To- often, however, estate planning is equated with just estate tax planning. Professionals should be sensitive to personal, nonfinancial issues that are usually of a higher priority. For many, estate planning involves, even more importantly, planning for the handling of affairs in case of disability, and the deeply personal medical choices to be made as life nears its end. Estate planning is not just for rich people. Wills and Trusts are just tools in a larger process. You must be careful not to give legal advice, of course. But you can provide a great service simply by explaining, in general terms, how the moving parts work together.