IGORoadmap

04/08/2026

Procrastination is probably the #1 obstacle to creating one's legal estate plan, right? For some, cost can also feel prohibitive.

But there's a third reason that lurks in the weeds: not knowing the full range of a plan's benefits and thus the feeling "I don't need a plan yet."

Generally, there are five good reasons to create a plan once you reach legal adulthood.

1. At the center of your plan is your will, or will-trust combination, that specifies an orderly process for who you wish to get your stuff and when, and who manages your estate settlement. Wills by themselves are a fancy request form for a probate judge's review. An accompanying trust is a private contract that promptly transfers assets owned by the trust without government oversight.

Both documents are riddled with hidden opportunities to prepare them incorrectly. Mistakes can be exceptionally consequential. Professional help is recommended.

2. Healthcare Directives. These documents give you the vehicle to decide in advance the type of health care you want (or don't want) if you're unable to decide for yourself.

3. Powers of Attorney (POA), both financial and medical. These documents are intended to assign authority to another person to make decisions for you while you're living if you can't make them yourself, and, if these decisions are not already covered by existing documents such as a trust or living will. However, banks and hospitals don't necessarily have to honor your POA if their attorneys don't like your POA form. So, run your POAs past your institutions while you're legally competent to revise your document or sign their acceptable POA form.

4. Beneficiary designations and joint ownership. Some assets have a provision for you to assign ownership in the event of your passing. Court approval is typically not involved. These assets could include bank accounts, life insurance policies, retirement accounts, homes, and vehicles. Review your beneficiaries annually, and immediately if you get divorced.

5. Guardianship for custody of your minor children. A judge will need to approve your legal guardianship arrangement either in a previous custody agreement or in your will, so this provision won't appear in your trust. If you have minor children and no guardianship, please put down your coffee mug and make a phone call to get that process started...well, unless you want a court to decide who will care for your kids if you're unable to. Be sure that your guardianship arrangement specifies alternate guardian candidates and then review this document annually.

Finally, as a related matter, your estate planning needs to include funding for both your estate settlement costs and your lost income for those currently depending upon it. The funding solution can often be an affordable term life insurance policy.

Disclaimer: this post is for educational purposes only. Consult an attorney before making legal decisions.
© 2026 IGO Roadmap LLC

11/12/2025

Recently it was National Estate Planning Awareness Week! I've been posting my top 10 ways to be aware. Here are the last two!

#9. Legal estate plans, whether they are will-based or trust-based, are all about designating authority. Worth repeating. Estate plans are about authority. They choose or nominate who manages your estate settlement, who gets your stuff, and who raises your kids.

That’s the good news.

Here’s the bad news.

#10. Estate plans do not trigger themselves. They don’t notify the authorized players, including your health care agent, if you can’t communicate in an emergency. Estate plans also do not assign who will immediately find and shelter your minor children and your pets. Or who will secure your home, keys, IDs, and credit cards. Or how to show your estate settlement managers where your assets are and how to access them. Or how they'll manage your automatic bill payments, your phone, your email, your social media. All these needs require a smart, thorough sister plan. That is, a roadmap that provides needed information and logistical guidance for your immediate family and personal representative or successor trustee.

The really unfortunate news is that almost no one has this comprehensive sister plan in place. Mostly because they don't know they need one. And that's often because attorneys aren't trained in this area.

————
You can IM me or email me if you’d like to get started on the path that creates your legal estate plan or your roadmap plan. Free 30-minute consultation.

We’ll talk about an approachable path to getting yourself in good order in these areas. Which may save those you’ll leave behind from untold headaches and heartbreaks. Perhaps do this for them?

Jeff Robertson
Planning Advocate
Certified Estate Planner® Professional
IGO Roadmap LLC
Box 1190, Buena Vista CO 81211
[email protected]

-------
DISCLAIMER for all posted material on this page:
What follows is educational and for information gathering. None of the content is legal advice. Before making any legal decisions, I urge that you consult with an attorney who is licensed in your state.

11/12/2025

Learning from painful stories. Day 2.

From the son of a deceased, remarried father:
My stepmom got everything from my father's estate. There were no restrictions placed on her regarding how to dispose of his assets while she was living or upon her passing. She split up the estate among family members. My siblings and I received what she thought was fair. But I know it was not how Dad would have wanted it for us. Over two decades later we are still dealing with the repercussions. Get a trust and install provisions that protect your biological children's interests.

-------
DISCLAIMER for all estate planning posts on this page:
These posts are educational and for information gathering. None of the content is legal advice. Before making any legal decisions, I urge that you consult with an attorney who is licensed in your state.

11/12/2025

Learning from painful stories. Day 1.

​Decades ago, a very smart couple chose their estate planning attorney probably on a recommendation. The attorney proved to be ethical and competent at what they asked him to do.

Unfortunately, they didn't ​likely ​know what to ​ask for. ​

They were from ​a​ generation ​who knew little about estate planning options​,​ and the attorney made most of his income from the type of conventional estate plan they asked for.​ Did the attorney advise them to consider an obvious, and less lucrative, alternative? We'll never know.

Four years ago, the surviving spouse passed away​​. The estate could have been settled in a few months had the plan been structured differently. But it wasn't and the settlement went to probate.

The estate is still open, complicated by the attorney's passing and​...wait for it​...no continuity business plan for his law practice.​ This ​all ended up costing the estate in avoidable fees. ​

Takeaways?
- Avoid choosing an attorney on a recommendation alone.
- Look at their marketing material.
- Interview them.
- Interview more than one.
- Ask them if they will work strictly in a fiduciary manner, and whether they are obligated to do so.
- Ask them if they have compensation incentives that could potentially impact their estate planning advice.
- Ask them what will happen if you or your estate outlives them.
- And most importantly, do your homework before you sit down with attorneys for an initial consultation. Learn what's available to you, especially the pros and cons of will-based vs. trust-based estate plans. ​Fire up YouTube and consult with a non-attorney fiduciary for coaching on general estate planning concepts and options, and how to intelligently select an attorney.

​Most of the estate attorneys in my circle are excellent at what they do and well worth their fee. Yet choosing the wrong attorney can be exceptionally expensive for you or your estate, and it can create an avoidable mess for those you leave behind. They deserve better.

------
DISCLAIMER for all estate planning posts on this page:
These posts are educational and for information gathering. None of the content is legal advice. Before making any legal decisions, I urge that you consult with an attorney who is licensed in your state.

10/24/2025

It’s National Estate Planning Awareness Week!
I’m posting my Awareness Top 10.

#7. What about a trust?
You can choose to have your estate plan be based on a revocable living trust instead of based on a will. A trust is a private contract. Court involvement is usually not required. It is not a matter of public record. Your estate settlement manager (trustee) will not need a judge’s permission to carry out the dozens of necessary tasks.

#8. A trust needs to own stuff.
Be forewarned. A revocable living trust is a waste of your money if you don’t put stuff in it. Your trust cannot distribute what it doesn’t own. So you’ll need to annually identify any asset you own, personally or jointly, that is subject to probate. AND then quickly transfer it to your trust. Failure to make this transfer will send the asset straight to probate court upon your passing.
Will your attorney take care of these critical transfers? Well, you’ll need their help for your real estate deed transfer. But attorneys don’t generally pledge to move your other assets to your trust. It’s not their deal. That’s on you or your family. For the rest of your life. Thankfully, the effort is well worth it. But it must happen.

Tomorrow:
#9 - Estate plans are about assigning authority but they don’t trigger themselves.
#10 - We actually need two estate plans.

DISCLAIMER for all posted material on this page:
What follows is educational and for information gathering. None of the content is legal advice. Before making any legal decisions, I urge that you consult with an attorney who is licensed in your state.

10/24/2025

It’s National Estate Planning Awareness Week!
So I’m posting my Awareness top 10.

#5. What your will can't do
Your will, by itself, has no legal authority to enact ANYTHING on your behalf. It’s a valuable document but think of it as a detailed, please-please request form for a judge.
For starters, the judge will have to decide that
a) your will meets your state’s strict legal formalities
b) you were actually of sound mind when you signed it, if someone says you weren’t
c) that your choice of the person to oversee your estate’s settlement is eligible
d) your choice of the person to become your minor children’s guardian is an adequate candidate.

A judge decides all of this. Your will can only ask for it.

#6. Surviving a judge's review
A judge can throw out any element of your will that they conclude is problematic. A skilled, licensed attorney can help craft or review your will such that a judge will likely approve all of its provisions. It's money well spent. And it's far less costly than when a DIY estate plan doesn't cover a scenario beyond a layman's knowledge, or when the judge tosses it.

------------

You can IM or email me if you want to start or jumpstart the process that produces your legal estate plan. You'll discover that effective estate planning really involves TWO plans, not just the one your attorney draws up.

Ask me about a free 30-minute consultation. We’ll talk about an approachable path to achieving good order in both areas. Which may save those you’ll leave behind from untold headaches and heartbreaks. Perhaps do this for them?

Tomorrow's Top 10:
#7 - What about a revocable living trust?
#8 - Trusts can't protect stuff they don't own

Jeff Robertson
Planning Advocate | Certified Estate Planner® Professional
IGO Roadmap LLC
Box 1190, Buena Vista CO 81211
314.518.7669
[email protected]

DISCLAIMER for all posted material on this page:
What follows is educational and for information gathering. None of the content is legal advice. Before making any legal decisions, I urge that you consult with an attorney who is licensed in your state.

10/23/2025

It’s National Estate Planning Awareness Week!
I’m posting my Awareness Top 10.

#3. Avoiding probate
Half of us as American adults have an estate plan. Many, however, have not taken steps to avoid having a probate court oversee part or all of their estate settlement. We know that where there’s a court, there’s lawyers and judges. And surprise, having a will usually does not shield you from probate. It can actually send you there.

#4. A matter of public record
When your estate is settled through probate court, the details of your will and estate can become a matter of public record. Bad actors may seek out those details and tie up the settlement process.

You can IM or email me if you want to start or jumpstart the process that produces your legal estate plan. You'll discover that effective estate planning really involves TWO plans, not just the one your attorney draws up.

Ask me about a free 30-minute consultation. We’ll talk about an approachable path to achieving good order in both areas. Which may save those you’ll leave behind from untold headaches and heartbreaks. Perhaps do this for them?

---------------

Tomorrow's Top 10:
#5 - A will by itself has no authority
#6 - A judge can throw out part or all of your will

Jeff Robertson
Planning Advocate | Certified Estate Planner® Professional
IGO Roadmap LLC
Box 1190, Buena Vista CO 81211
314.518.7669
[email protected]

DISCLAIMER for all posted material on this page:
What follows is educational and for information gathering. None of the content is legal advice. Before making any legal decisions, I urge that you consult with an attorney who is licensed in your state.

10/22/2025

It’s National Estate Planning Awareness Week!
I’m posting my Awareness Top 10.

#1. No estate plan
My fellow American adults. Over half of us don’t have an estate plan. Yes, that’s correct. Over half. It's not a character flaw. But there is a serious reality at play. Without an estate plan, your state laws will impersonally govern who gets your assets, and a court will assign who settles your estate. Your input: zero. If that doesn't sound like a problem, just spend a couple minutes talking to those who have settled estates with no legal plan.

And if you have minor children, a local judge who has never met your family will be assigned to designate who raises your minor children, often after a court hearing with input from numerous interested parties. Well, except from you. The only way you can provide input about your kids’ future is in advance through a will or another legal custody document. If you have minor children and don't have a legal guardianship plan in place, I beg you to button this up as fast as you can.

#2. Estate planning and life insurance
An estate plan is arguably no less important than life insurance. Both protect your loved ones. And life insurance can be a foundational component of an outstanding estate plan.

---------------

You can IM or email me if you want to start or jumpstart the process that produces your legal estate plan. You'll discover that effective estate planning really involves TWO plans, not just the one your attorney draws up. Once finished with both plans, you'll sleep so much better. Ask me about a free 30-minute consultation. We’ll talk about an approachable path to achieving good order in both areas. Which may save those you’ll leave behind from untold headaches and heartbreaks. Perhaps do this for them?

Tomorrow's Top 10:
#3. Avoiding probate.
#4. Probate court details are a matter of public record

Jeff Robertson
Planning Advocate | Certified Estate Planner® Professional
IGO Roadmap LLC
Box 1190, Buena Vista CO 81211
314.518.7669
[email protected]

DISCLAIMER for all posted material on this page:
What follows is educational and for information gathering. None of the content is legal advice. Before making any legal decisions, I urge that you consult with an attorney who is licensed in your state.

06/02/2025

"How does your estate planning lawyer get compensated?"

This is an overlooked question for most people when they consider who they will engage to advise them on their estate planning. But it's a critical piece of selecting one's attorney.

The common myth is that you simply write a check to have them advise you on a plan and create the legal paperwork, and that's pretty much the compensation piece. But there's usually more going on beyond your view.

Perhaps their experience and business model is geared largely around probate work or creating trusts. Or if they work for a law firm, performance goals and bonuses are probably involved. If they are one of the firm's partners, there are additional incentives baked in.

Why is this important to you? Because an attorney's advice and services, much like many white-collar professionals, can be colored by how they get paid, both short-term and long-term. What pays them well might be the direction they advise you to take when building an estate plan.

Avoid choosing an attorney on a recommendation alone. Look at their marketing material. Interview them. Ask them if they will work strictly in a fiduciary manner, and whether they are obligated to do so. Ask them if they have compensation incentives that could potentially impact their estate planning advice.

And most importantly, do your homework before you set foot in the attorney's office for an initial consultation. Learn what's available to you, especially the pros and cons of will-based vs. trust-based estate plans. Consult with a non-attorney fiduciary for coaching on general estate planning concepts and options, and how to intelligently select an attorney.

Choosing the wrong attorney can be exceptionally expensive for you or your estate, and it can create an avoidable mess for those you leave behind. They deserve better.

Turn data collection into an experience with Typeform. Create beautiful online forms, surveys, quizzes, and so much more. Try it for FREE.

04/20/2025

So you have a revocable living trust.

Let's hope you've been advised that it needs to be "fully funded." That is, items owned in your name subject to probate need to be transferred to your trust. Check.

But what about potential financial awards triggered by your passing that are unexpectedly distributed to you or your estate? Your successor trustee may find themselves looking for a probate lawyer despite all your planning efforts otherwise.

It's smart to periodically review your primary and contingency beneficiaries for your cash accounts, securities, insurance policies, business interests, retirement accounts, jointly owned assets, and debts owed to you alone. If your chosen beneficiaries of an asset are no longer eligible recipients, you might inadvertently create a probate case.

Feel free to message me if you think you've got a hole in your trust funding.