01
What Do I Own?
Insurance policies, accounts, property and other financial resources should be identifiable.
Legacy Planning
A Good Legacy Plan Makes Life Easier for the People You Love.
Legacy planning isn't only about what you leave behind. It's also about reducing confusion for the people who may have to handle things after you're gone.
David Wagner helps clients think through the insurance, beneficiary and organizational pieces of that conversation — and understand when legal or tax professionals need to be involved.
Beneficiary Review
Protection Planning
Legacy Organization
Make the Important Things Easier to Find.
And easier to understand.
More Than an Estate
Legacy Planning Is Really About the People Who Come Next.
Think about what your family may need to figure out if you aren't there to answer the questions.
Where are the policies? Who are the beneficiaries? What accounts exist? Who should they contact? Which documents matter? What did you want to happen?
Getting organized now can help make an emotionally difficult time less confusing later.
Start With Four Questions
If Your Family Had to Handle Everything Tomorrow, Would They Know Where to Start?
02
Who Receives What?
Beneficiary designations should be reviewed periodically and coordinated with broader plans.
03
Where Are the Documents?
Important records are more useful when the right people can actually locate them.
04
Who Needs to Know?
Trusted family members, beneficiaries and appropriate professional advisors may each need different information.
Beneficiary Review
A Beneficiary Form Can Be a Small Document With a Very Big Job.
Life insurance policies and many financial accounts allow owners to designate beneficiaries.
Those designations deserve periodic review — especially after major life events such as marriage, divorce, births, deaths or changes in family circumstances.
Good Times to Review Beneficiaries
01
Marriage or remarriage
02
Divorce or separation
03
Birth or adoption
04
Death of a beneficiary
05
Major financial or family changes
Life Insurance & Legacy
Life Insurance Can Be One Piece of a Larger Legacy Plan.
A life insurance death benefit may provide beneficiaries with money that can be used according to their needs, subject to policy terms.
Depending on a family's circumstances, that money might help address final expenses, debt, income needs, family support or other financial priorities.
Explore Family Protection
Final Expenses
Help provide funds beneficiaries may use toward
funeral or other final costs.
Family Support
Provide financial resources to named beneficiaries
after death.
Debt & Obligations
Create liquidity beneficiaries may use for
financial responsibilities.
Legacy Goals
Life insurance may be considered as one component
of broader planning objectives.
Get Organized
Your Family Shouldn't Need to Become Detectives.
A useful legacy file doesn't need to be complicated. It needs to help the right people understand what exists and where to find it.
Insurance Information
Carrier names, policy numbers, agent contact information and beneficiary information.
Financial Accounts
A general record of the institutions and accounts your family may need to identify.
Important Documents
Know where wills, trusts, powers of attorney and other legal documents are stored if they exist.
Professional Contacts
Attorney, accountant, insurance agent and other trusted professional contact information.
Personal Instructions
Consider what practical information family members would need to know.
Secure Access
Sensitive information should be stored securely while still allowing appropriate access when needed.
“
Do I need a will, a trust, or something else?
Estate Document Education
That's a Legal Question — And It Deserves a Legal Answer.
Wills, trusts, powers of attorney and other estate documents can play important roles, but choosing and drafting those documents involves legal considerations.
David can help identify when estate-document questions belong in the broader legacy conversation and can coordinate insurance considerations with the work of appropriate legal professionals.
Important:
Wagner Integrity Insurance does not provide legal
advice. Legal documents and estate-planning decisions
should be reviewed with an appropriately qualified
attorney or legal service provider.
The Conversation Matters Too
The Best Plan in the World Isn't Helpful if Nobody Knows It Exists.
You don't necessarily need to share every financial detail with everyone.
But the right people should usually know enough to understand that a plan exists, where important information is kept and who they should contact.
Consider Making Sure Someone Knows:
✓
Where important documents are stored
✓
Who the key professional contacts are
✓
That insurance policies exist
✓
Who should be contacted first
✓
Where practical instructions can be found
Legacy conversations don't need to be gloomy.
They need to be useful.
The Wagner Approach
Talk About It While You Can Still Answer the Questions.
Legacy planning can feel uncomfortable because nobody loves thinking about the day they won't be here.
David's approach is practical: identify the insurance and beneficiary pieces, get important information organized and bring in the appropriate professionals when the conversation moves into legal, tax or other specialized areas.
✓
Review insurance coverage
✓
Review beneficiaries
✓
Organize key information
✓
Identify professional handoffs
The Process
Make the Important Things Easier to Understand.
1
Take Inventory
Review insurance coverage, beneficiaries and the financial information relevant to the legacy conversation.
2
Identify the Gaps
Determine what may need updating, organizing or a conversation with another professional.
3
Put the Pieces Together
Coordinate the insurance portion with your broader financial, family and legal planning.
Common Questions
Straight Answers About Legacy Planning.
These answers are general educational information and are not legal or tax advice.
Is legacy planning the same thing as estate planning?
They can overlap, but the terms are not necessarily identical. Estate planning often includes legal documents and strategies, while legacy planning can also include insurance, beneficiary designations, organization, family communication and personal objectives.
Can David create my will or trust?
David's role through Wagner Integrity Insurance is insurance guidance and education, not practicing law. Legal documents and legal recommendations should be handled through an appropriately qualified legal professional or legal service provider.
Why do beneficiary designations matter?
Beneficiary designations determine who is designated to receive applicable policy or account benefits under the governing terms. Because family circumstances change, those designations should be reviewed periodically.
Can life insurance be part of legacy planning?
Yes. Depending on individual needs and policy terms, life insurance may be considered as one component of a broader legacy or family protection strategy.
What if I already have a will?
A will can be an important legal document, but legacy organization can involve additional items such as insurance policies, beneficiary designations, account information, professional contacts and family communication.
Does talking with David obligate me to buy anything?
No. Contacting Wagner Integrity Insurance does not obligate you to purchase an insurance product.
Important Information
Insurance Guidance Is Not Legal or Tax Advice.
Wagner Integrity Insurance provides insurance-related education and services. References to wills, trusts, powers of attorney, beneficiary planning, estate documents or other legal concepts are provided for general educational purposes.
Wagner Integrity Insurance does not provide legal or tax advice. Legal documents, estate-planning strategies and tax questions should be reviewed with appropriately qualified professionals.
Insurance product availability, eligibility, benefits, premiums and policy provisions vary by carrier, product and individual circumstances.
Make It Easier for the People You Love
The Best Time to Organize the Important Things Is While You're Still Here to Explain Them.
Start with the insurance, beneficiaries and questions you already have. David can help you figure out which pieces belong in the next conversation.