A new study from Edward Jones finds that financial advisors are seeing their clients involve family members more in ongoing discussions about wealth transfer, putting advisors in an ideal position to help facilitate those encounters.
Of 200 advisors surveyed for the firm’s latest study of financial advisors, 89% said their clients have a wealth transfer plan while 65% said their clients are including their children or parents in meetings to discuss those wealth transfer plans.
“It’s refreshing to see clients engaging their families in these conversations, as earlier involvement creates a better sense of trust and intentionality before the transfer takes place,” said David Chubak, head of the U.S. Business Unit and Branch Development at Edward Jones, in a release.
Almost all of the advisors surveyed said their clients take the concept of wealth transfer seriously, with 98% saying that they have helped clients establish the parameters for how they wish their wealth to be dispersed.
“Talking with their beneficiaries about what to expect will help eliminate resentment or eliminate disagreements, especially if you come from a mixed family where there might have been two to three sets of beneficiaries involved,” said David Tam, a financial advisor at Edward Jones, in an interview with Financial Advisor.
Advisors who work with families can establish those relationships with children and their parents early, he said. That way when they reach the age where they need help from an advisor, that relationship is already established. The best time to start meeting with the children of clients is at that point when they begin to have their own finances, according to Tam.
“As soon as they have some level of financial responsibility, they should come in and chat with a financial advisor and we can give them an idea of what to start doing with their financial education,” he said. “We want to give them some idea of what to expect if something unexpected were to happen to their parents.”
One of the biggest mistakes a person came make when having the talk with their family about wealth transfer is not including an advisor in that conversation, Tam said. The advisor can run the meeting, set the agenda, invite others such as a probate lawyer to participate, and even broach the difficult questions that family members might be afraid to bring up, he said.
“I’d say integrating your financial advisor into that conversation would be the easiest way to initiate it,” he said. “By initiating this you’re at least getting them into the office to begin the great wealth talk.”