ESTATE PLANNING
ESTATE PLANNING
After decades of working with thousands of families, we consistently see the same issue: estate plans that are outdated, incomplete, or disconnected from the rest of a client's financial strategy. That is why at Cassaday & Company, Inc., estate planning is not treated as a standalone task or a one-time event. It is a core component of our integrated wealth management process, coordinated alongside your investments, tax strategy, insurance planning, and family goals.
Our goal is simple: help ensure your plan reflects your wishes, protects your family, and evolves as your life and laws change.
Our Integrated Estate Planning Approach
Our team of estate planning strategists, financial advisors, tax professionals, and insurance specialists works together to produce a personalized roadmap designed to potentially maximize outcomes for you and the people you care about.
Estate planning is fully embedded in our broader financial planning process. When evaluating your estate plan, we consider:
- Investments
- Tax strategy
- Insurance coverage
- Income needs
- Family structure and dynamics
A key focus of our approach is addressing both:
- Your lifetime needs, including decision-making and planning for periods of incapacity
- Your wealth transfer goals, including how and when assets are distributed
We partner with JM Law, PLLC, a dedicated estate planning law firm founded by our Senior Estate Planning Strategist, Jessica Marchegiano, to provide clients with estate planning document drafting and legal services.
Our Estate Planning Services
Our estate planning services are designed to provide both strategic guidance and practical implementation, helping ensure your plan is clear, coordinated, and actionable. Our process leads to a complete estate plan that reflects best practices, and ongoing, proactive compliance with current law, as well as careful attention to your family's dynamics. Depending on your circumstances, this may include:
Plan Review and Strategy Development
- Review of existing estate planning documents to identify gaps, risks, or inconsistencies
- Development of planning recommendations aligned with your financial strategy and personal goals
- Coordination with your financial advisor, CPA, and other professionals
Estate and Trust Planning
- Revocable (living) trusts
- Pour-over wills
- Durable powers of attorney
- Advance medical directives and HIPAA releases
- Living wills
- Standalone retirement trusts
- Ancillary documents (e.g., certificates of trust, assignments of property)
Estate and Trust Administration Guidance
- Support for executors, trustees, and families
- Coordination with your advisory team during emotionally complex transitions, including periods of loss or incapacity
- Guidance to help ensure your plan is carried out as intended
Ongoing Planning and Support
- Periodic reviews as laws, assets, and family dynamics evolve
- Ongoing access to planning guidance and updates
- Education and planning conversations to support long-term decision-making
- Planning considerations for family members, including young adult planning to help ensure appropriate legal protections are in place
- Facilitated conversations with family members and advisors to help ensure your estate plan is clearly understood and aligned across all parties
Additional Services
- Strategies to minimize estate taxes
- Legacy and wealth transfer planning
- Independent trustee referral solutions
What Our Clients Are Saying
"I have been telling my friends, relatives, and others, about Cassaday’s Estate Planning service. It just makes so much sense that the financial institutions who are managing our money know that our estate documents are in good order. The service was invaluable to me and an extra benefit is the fact that it was integrated with the rest of the Cassaday program."
"We wanted to thank you for doing such an outstanding job with our kids’ newly established trusts and updates to our estate and will. We received all of the binders via FedEx and they are quite impressive! I plan to wrap each and prsent them to the kids at Christmas time. This is a huge milestone in their financial lives and we are thrilled they are each establishing a relationship with JM Law and the Cassaday advisors. We appreciate all your hard work and dedication as our legal advisor. It has always been such a joy to work with you – we certainly feel very blessed to have had your guidance throughout this process."
"Michael has always been responsive, friendly, and patient, and he has provided us with excellent guidance. Working with you both makes us feel more confident and comfortable that we are in very good hands at Cassaday."
Testimonials are provided by current clients. All written testimonials referenced are unsolicited. All video testimonials referenced are solicited. No compensation was provided for these testimonials and no material conflicts of interest are present as a result. These testimonials and endorsements do not guarantee a level of success, nor do they guarantee that all clients will have the same experience.
Protecting Your Family and Legacy
A well-designed estate plan protects not just what you have built, but the people you have built it for.
- Will an inheritance create conflict instead of security?
- Is a child’s share protected if they end up getting divorced?
- What happens if a family member isn’t equipped to manage a lump sum?
These are the questions that shape how an estate plan should be structured. Thoughtful estate planning, including trust structures, tailored distribution provisions, and beneficiary protections, can help address these concerns. Done well, it can:
- Help protect assets from divorce, creditors, and lawsuits
- Provide guardrails for beneficiaries who may be vulnerable or inexperienced
- Structure distributions in a way that honors your intentions
Every family is different. Our role is to help ensure your plan reflects yours.
Frequently Asked Questions About Estate Planning
Our estate planning team can review your existing documents with you to help determine whether they align with your current wishes and overall financial strategy. If appropriate, recommendations may be provided for your consideration.
From there, you can choose to:
- Have amendments or updates made through JM Law, PLLC, or
- Take those recommendations to an estate planning attorney of your choosing
Any planning not covered through Cassaday & Company’s estate planning offering may be completed by JM Law, PLLC for a fee. Any fees will be disclosed in advance for your review and approval.
Yes. Our estate planning team can review estate plans and provide general guidance regardless of your state of residence. Cassaday & Company serves clients in nearly every state.
If new documents are needed:
- They may need to be reviewed by an attorney licensed in your state, and you would be responsible for that cost, or
- We can provide referrals to estate planning attorneys licensed in your state
One of our estate planning attorneys will conduct a comprehensive review of your current estate plan and recommend strategies to ensure that the plan aligns with current laws and fulfills your desired outcomes. From there, the attorney will make a recommendation as to whether a revision of your current plan is sufficient, or whether changes in circumstances, objectives, or planning strategies warrant a restatement of your plan.
No. Because JM Law, PLLC estate planning attorneys are also employed as strategists for Cassaday & Company, Inc., they are not able to act in a fiduciary capacity as trustee, co-trustee, successor trustee, or trust advisor on behalf of our clients. We can, however, recommend independent trustee resources for your consideration.
Foundational estate planning services are included in the advisory fee for clients with assets under management of $1 million or more. Foundational services include the creation of core estate planning documents such as a will or trust, powers of attorney, and healthcare directives, along with personalized guidance and coordination with your advisory team to ensure alignment with your overall financial plan.
Should your situation require additional services beyond our foundational process, the scope of work and any associated fees will be fully disclosed and approved by you before any work begins.
Ongoing conversations and consultations with the estate planning team are available to all clients at no charge. For details specific to your situation, please contact your advisor.
Meet Your Estate Planning Team
Our Estate Planning strategists work alongside your advisory team to develop and coordinate your estate plan. Document drafting and execution are provided through JM Law, PLLC, a dedicated estate planning law firm established to serve Cassaday & Company, Inc., clients and others with estate planning needs.
Estate Planning News & Insights
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Ready to ensure your estate plan coordinates seamlessly with your overall wealth management strategy? Let us help you navigate the complexities of estate planning, trust administration, and legacy planning while avoiding costly mistakes.
Contact us today to schedule a complimentary consultation. We'll discuss your situation, review your goals, and explain how our integrated approach might benefit you - all with no obligation.