Personal Insights from Melissa:

I remember when I was a young CPA, over 20 years ago, working on a large estate. A client had passed away, and unfortunately, despite hiring a high-end attorney to draft his estate documents, his estate plan was disjointed and incomplete. While he had the foresight to work with an attorney, none of that work was shared with his financial planner or tax preparer. I remember thinking it was all a shame, as the resulting issues could have been prevented had we all worked together to execute his estate plan. Estate administration after a person passes away can be a stressful and burdensome process, all which is often handled by children who are grieving the loss of a parent. When there’s a poorly executed estate plan, it can be a nightmare and a costly one. Since then, I’ve seen it again and again and numerous families torn apart by it.

When I heard about an integrated wealth management approach, I was excited. I thought, “an approach to help guard against this from happening!” Now, I regularly see the benefits of working with a team of trusted advisors who collaborate with one another to integrate financial, tax, and estate planning. This work can result in a well-executed plan and smooth estate administration for our clients and their heirs. I’m proud to be part of this team of trusted advisors.