Many people put off estate planning because it feels uncomfortable or overwhelming. But avoiding the conversation doesn’t make the need go away; it simply makes things harder for the people you care about most.
A little preparation today can significantly ease the burden on your caregivers, financial agents, and estate administrators in the future. Clear legal documents and thoughtful conversations ensure your wishes are understood and respected, whether related to medical care, finances, or legacy planning.
One of the most important (and often overlooked) steps is having Generational Conversations™before decisions are needed. These conversations help families align expectations, reduce stress, and create clarity—making life smoother both now and down the road.
Not sure how to start the conversation?
We’ve created Themes for Family Conversations to help guide thoughtful, productive discussions with loved ones.
How to Get Started With Estate Planning
Estate planning doesn’t have to be complicated. Start with these essential steps:
1. Prioritize Your Family’s Long-Term Needs
Think through and communicate your preferences for:
Housing and living arrangements
Care management
Financial decision-making
2. Create a Clear List of Assets
Document what you own and where to find it, including:
Bank and investment accounts
Property, titles, and deeds
Valuables and important keys or access details
3. Decide Who Gets What
Outline your beneficiaries and ensure your intentions are clearly documented.
4. Inform Your Decision-Makers
Make sure the right people understand their roles:
Executor
Healthcare agent
Financial agent
5. Gather and Protect Key Documents
Keep critical documents organized and accessible, including:
Wills
Healthcare directives
Powers of Attorney
Insurance policies
Financial statements
6. Ask for a Checklist
Integras Partners has created separate checklists for Retirees and Executors to make the process easier. We can also recommend secure, free online document vaults to store and share your information safely.
The Real Benefit: Peace of Mind
When your plans are in place, the impact goes far beyond paperwork.
Worry Less About Doing the “Right” Thing
Greater clarity during market or economic uncertainty
Confidence that decisions are informed and intentional
Feel Confident in Your Decisions
Increased confidence in career and life choices
Greater peace heading into retirement
Take Care of the People You Love
Children
Partners
Parents
Stay Organized and In Control
Less chaos during critical moments
More time for what truly matters
Gain More Discretionary Time
Fewer last-minute decisions
More freedom to focus on living well
Estate planning isn’t about preparing for the worst—it’s about creating confidence, clarity, and peace of mind for yourself and the people who matter most.
Clients often ask us how to begin investing for their kids or grandkids. As always, starting early pays the greatest benefits. Here are two ideas to consider:
529 Plans allow you to invest cash for school expenses. The 529 account grows tax free, and money taken out for qualified education expenses is not taxed. These accounts are typically owned by a single parent, with one beneficiary. They are state-specific and can accept high contributions.
Almost all states offer income tax deductions for contributions to their state 529 plans. Some states offer tax breaks for investing in any state’s 529 plan.
Not all plans are created equal, with investment choices limited to that plan’s fund lineup. Most plans offer target-date funds which are a good idea to align with HS graduation.
The definition of qualified education expense has broadened over the years. Beginning in 2026, $20k in annual distributions are allowed for K-12. Other qualifying expenses include college apps, housing, and even exam-prep and computers.
Beneficiaries can be changed to other family members.
Once a 529 account has been open for 15 years, unused funds up to $35K can be rolled into a Roth IRA for the beneficiary (subject to annual Roth eligibility and contribution limits).
UTMA (Custodial) Accounts are irrevocable gifts to a minor. These accounts can accept not only cash, but gifted securities as well. Minors have very low tax brackets which enable some gains to be realized tax free, or at a very low rate.
Funds can be used for almost anything for the benefit of the child, including cars, extracurricular activities, travel and Greek life.
This can be a great tool for gifting appreciated stocks or mutual funds, selling with minimal taxes and using the proceeds to cover those athletic or extra-curricular activities.
Grandparents and others can directly gift to these accounts!
UTMAs are considered assets of the child and can decrease financial aid eligibility.
Parents often pair a 529 plan with a UTMA, to take advantage of the features and uses of both.
Many schools don’t teach Financial Literacy.Beyond a formal education, one of the most powerful gifts you can share is how to manage money.
Encourage them to get started with investing early. Compounding returns over time is like a rolling snowball accumulating more and more wealth.
Does your high schooler or college student have a summer job? Contribute a portion of their earnings to a Roth IRA.
Has your new grad received monetary gifts from family? Talk to them about investing some of that money for their future self.
A single $1,000 investment at age 20 could turn into $80,0001 by age 65. Wait 10 years to make that investment, and it’s less than half the amount by age 65.
First job? Maybe coming up with $1,000 all at once sounds like a lot. What if they could invest just $100 a month?
Investing just $100 a month beginning at age 25 could grow to $530,0001 at age 65! Putting in $48,000 over 40 years and ending up with over $500,000 is pretty compelling.
Treat investing like a bill you pay to your future self. Automate it and let compound growth make life-changing decisions possible.
Here are some ideas to free up money for investing each month.
Cancel subscriptions not used regularly
Make coffee at home
Cook some meals at home
Use cashback credit cards (as long as they’re paid off each month) and invest the bonuses
One last question your kids may have – what if they can’t invest consistently for 40 years? Is it still worth it?
Investing $100 a month beginning at age 25, then stopping at age 45 could still turn into $330,000 by age 651.
The takeaway? Start early and be consistent. Small, regular contributions now can lead to life-changing outcomes later.
Call us today to learn how we can help. 404-941-2800
As we age, living situations and health needs will change. Parents and their children avoid planning for them, for very understandable reasons:
Parents don’t “want to be a bother”. Kids “don’t want to pry” into their parents’ lives. Money conversations can be tense. Parents don’t want to choose one child over another to take important roles in making health and financial decisions.
Our Generational ConversationsTM program helps adult children and their elder parents navigate planning for Housing, Care Management, Financial Continuity, Legal Strategies, and Security.
We want to help. As families get together over the holidays, it’s a great time to broach these subjects. Click here to download our free Themes for Family Conversations. We wish you all the joys of the holidays and everyone in your family a little extra peace.
Call us today to learn how we can help. 404-941-2800
Working with Integras Partners brings confidence to your financial journey. We help clients not worry so much about money, knowing that an expert is minding your investments.
Many individual investors let emotions and procrastination impact their decisions – hesitating to buy when prices fall and feeling eager to invest when markets are strong. A disciplined advisor provides steady, informed guidance to improve your financial outcomes.
Glen & Amber are sandwiched between their elder parents and three children, ages 15-24. Glen has been managing their investments on his own and would like to retire from his corporate job. With family pressures complicating this decision, friends referred them to us for financial advice.
In our Discovery Meeting, we learned that Glen’s parents are in their late seventies and becoming less independent. His sister lives closest to them but increasingly frequent trips are straining her family. Amber’s parents are divorced; her dad and his wife are stable, but her mom is struggling with health and financial issues.
Seeking comfort for Glen’s career decision, we started with the family needs. Through our Generational Conversations program, we provided comprehensive information on care management options. Hiring occasional home caregivers who report to Glen’s sister proved to be a good solution. Amber’s mother moved into independent senior living at a reasonable monthly cost. She is now happier in a social setting and Amber is greatly relieved. The proceeds from selling her mom’s home combined with Social Security will keep mom financially stable for many years.
The couple’s elder daughter, Olivia graduated college with some 529 funds remaining, which we transferred to their middle child. Olivia is now largely independent with a first job, and gets occasional support from her parents.
In addition to increasing 529 contributions for the younger kids, we opened custodial (or UTMA) accounts. These are irrevocable gifts that a parent controls until the children reach their state’s age of majority. Unlike 529’s, they can receive annual gifts of stock and mutual funds and get a preferential tax rate on sales. Glen gifted some appreciated company stock which was promptly sold. The proceeds can immediately cover some extracurricular expenses and later fund college costs ineligible for 529’s like cars, Greek life and entertainment.
With family issues addressed, we narrowed in on the retirement conversation. We explored Social Security strategies. Glen also expects some consulting opportunities. We all agreed to start managing Glen and Amber’s investments right away. Our paradigm of aligning investments to match expected income needs brings comfort around retirement spending, while capturing growth with longer-term dollars.
Generational Conversations also supports adult children and their elder parents to plan for housing, legal strategies and security needs.
