Introduction

Dear Friends:

Nothing can be more stressful and heartbreaking than the loss of a loved one. Whether the loss was the result of a sudden calamity or from a prolonged illness, the grieving process leaves little room for major decisions that are thrust upon you. Attorneys ask you to sign legal papers; CPAs present complex tax returns and financial advisors seem to come at you from every angle. At this emotional time, these are the people that you least want to deal with, but you realize that the issues being raised will have real economic effect on the rest of your life.

“Susan”, a widow whose husband “George” took care of all matters legal and financial during their 46-year marriage, was left befuddled, sorrowful and depressed when he died. “I don’t even know where to find our checkbook, nonetheless what to do about our home, our investments and all these legal matters.”

“Amy” lost both of her parents within the last several months. “It’s been devastating for me, having to fly from my home to Florida to take care of Dad and then Mom. My siblings have helped when they could, but I am the responsible one. Now I have to clean up all of their financial and legal affairs from afar. I don’t know anyone that they have dealt with and need help understanding what I am supposed to do.”

“Jim”, a busy executive didn’t know what to do when his wife “Nancy” passed away suddenly, leaving him alone with their two teenagers and several pressing matters. “Our schedules were beyond hectic when I had Nancy to help; both of us worked, and we divided our daily tasks – she managed the investments and I paid the bills – we split duty with the kids and their activities – now I don’t know how I’m going to deal with all of this - not to mention the legal, tax and financial issues.”

Susan, Amy and Jim are not alone. Each didn’t know who to trust, or where to begin with the legal and economic decisions. That is why we developed The Estate Settlement Solution™. This unique process is designed to minimize the stress of administering a deceased loved one’s estate and trust by delegating the legal, tax and financial details to knowledgeable, qualified and trustworthy professionals while maintaining your control over all major decisions.