Legacy Planning

Helping families find and share important information that will be needed after a loss

  • Stop putting this off

    You know you need to get organized, but it's hard to get motivated. You're healthy and are going to be around for a long time. Until you aren't. Reluctant Executor has resources to start getting your estate organized today.

  • Find your blind spots

    We don't know what we don't know. Even if you've already created an estate map, you might be missing important details. Schedule a coaching call with us to brainstorm information that will help your family administer an estate.

  • Reduce future stress

    Delayed gratification is hard. It's even harder when you're not the recipient of your own effort. The grief and stress after a loss make it difficult to focus on administrative tasks. Help reduce this stress and give your family a map to point them to the important things to take care of.

FAQs

  • Legacy Planning is traditionally a strategy to prepare how to give away financial assets after a death. However, there is much more to it than just financial assets. Legacy Planning through Reluctant Executor looks at all of the tasks that a loved one will need to handle after a death, and helps you document the information your family will need in order to handle these tasks. We do this by creating an Estate Map and providing resources on how to share and store it.

  • An Estate Map is the document you create to guide your family to the important information they will need when you pass away. Depending on your situation, you may want to add more detail than others. The idea is to show your loved ones where they need to go, with enough information, to close out your estate. You don't need to recreate your will or trust, but let them know where to find those documents.

  • Legacy Planning through Reluctant Executor helps you to document, store, share, and maintain the critical information that your family will need after a loss. Estate planning typically involves working with an Estate Lawyer or Financial Planner to develop inheritance strategies for your family.

  • In most areas, a will becomes public record after a death. The information that is documented in a Legacy Plan should remain private, and therefore, not be included in your will.

  • If you work with a financial planner or accountant, they likely have some of the information that should be included in your Estate Map. However, your Estate Map should include all of the information that your family needs to administer your estate. Beyond financial assets, they should know details about bills, income, important contacts, and other assets such as cars and family heirlooms.

  • The best time to start Legacy Planning was yesterday. The next best time is today. Even if you're young and healthy, accidents and surprises happen. The best time to create your Estate Map is when you are healthy and able to clearly think. It's much more difficult to pull this information together after a health scare.

  • Primarily you should create your own Estate Map. Next, consider working with your parents to create an estate map for them. By working through your details first, you'll have a better understanding of what questions to ask.

  • Reluctant Executor offers three different resources to help you with Legacy Planning. First, you can download a free Estate Map template. This spreadsheet provides an overview of the types of information you should consider for your Estate Map. Second, you can access the Building Your Estate Map Video Course. This course includes 12 modules that go in-depth for each area of the Estate Map template. It also provides ideas for sharing, storing, and maintaining your Estate Map. Finally, you can schedule private coaching sessions. This is useful if you have specific questions about your situation, or need the extra motivation to finish documenting your Estate Map.

  • Reluctant Executor's Legacy Planning resources are meant for anyone across the United States. If you live outside of Central Texas, we are happy to provide virtual coaching services. If you live in Central Texas, we prefer to hold our coaching sessions face-to-face, but we can accommodate virtual sessions if needed.

  • I began my Legacy Planning experience unexpectedly in 2020 when my dad called to tell me he had been diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer. One of the first things we did was sit down and have a conversation about all of the things we thought would be important to know. We wrote this down on a blank spreadsheet. After he passed away in 2022, this information became invaluable in helping my mom through the administrative tasks. But we didn't know what we didn't know, and there was more I wish we had captured. More recently, I joined the growing community of After Loss Professionals. Their After Loss training helped me gain insight into even more things that need to be documented in a Legacy Plan.