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FUNDING:


                   THE LINCHPIN TO YOUR ESTATE PLAN



         Estate planning attorneys love to talk about wills and trusts.  It makes sense - these documents are
         your specific instructions as to where you want your things to go after you pass away.  They are the
         foundation  of  your  estate  plan.    However,  there’s  something  that  almost  never  gets  discussed  -
         funding.  In this short article, you’ll learn what it is, why it’s so important, and what you need to do.


         Simply  put  -  funding  is  the  retitling  of  your  assets.    Sounds  clear  enough,  but  what  does  that

         actually mean?  It means going through the process of changing the ownership or beneficiaries on
         ALL of your assets.  To whom or what you will change the ownership or beneficiaries depends on a
         number of factors.  Do you have a trust?  Are you married?  Do you have children? If so, are they
         minors?  Are you leaving funds to charities or religious organizations?  Are you trying to protect your
         assets or just make things easier for your children after you pass?  The answers to these questions -
         and many others - can materially affect how you need to be “funding” your estate plan.



         After learning this, many people ask: “Why would I want to change these things?  Why even bother
         doing the funding? What does it actually do for me?”  The best answer is the following: Funding
         avoids  probate,  provides  asset  protection  and  ensures  that  your  wishes  and  goals  are
         carried out.  I’m sure you would agree that this makes it a very crucial step in your estate planning
         process.



         So then why don’t more attorneys offer it or even mention it?  Frankly, funding is as tedious as it is
         important.  It involves contacting every financial institution where you have an account, a contract,
         or a policy.  It often involves filling out a large amount of paperwork.  Most lawyers don’t want to
         deal  with  it  and  they’re  worried  that  if  you  know  how  much  effort  it  is,  you  won’t  want  to  do
         anything at all.


         Fortunately for you, Family First Firm offers funding as an included service. When you have us by your

         side, we will handle this most important chore and do it for you. To do this most expediently, we rely
         upon our wealth management arm - Growing Legacies - to process these important changes.


         When choosing a law firm to work with to protect yourself, your family, and your legacy - make sure
         that you choose someone who does the funding as well. It’s too important to be left to chance.
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