Estate Planning Made Easier: Your First Step

Alitis Wealth Planning is a related company to Alitis Investment Counsel, created to provide clients with holistic, personalized financial planning that goes beyond investment management. Alitis Investment Counsel focuses on managing your investment portfolio, growing your wealth, and retirement planning. Alitis Wealth Planning provides more in-depth guidance — including insurance, tax, and investment planning, and, importantly, estate planning. By working closely together, we ensure that your financial strategies are aligned with your life goals, and that your wealth transitions smoothly to the next generation or the causes you care about most.

Facing the Uncomfortable – and Why It’s Worth It

Human nature has a way of nudging us toward what’s easy and familiar while quietly pushing the hard or uncomfortable things to the bottom of the list. Think about finally sorting through the boxes in the garage, having a difficult conversation, or booking that long-overdue appointment — the longer we wait, the harder it feels to start. Estate planning often falls into that same “later” category, even though it’s one of the most meaningful ways we can care for the people and causes closest to our hearts.

Why Many People Delay – and How to Get Moving

In my years working with clients, I’ve seen families postpone estate planning for years, sometimes decades, simply because they didn’t know where to begin. The process can seem complex, involving multiple moving parts:

• Taxes and probate considerations
• Gifting and charitable giving strategies
• Division of assets among heirs
• Powers of attorney and healthcare directives

Each of these elements matters, but they don’t need to be tackled all at once. Often, the hardest part is just getting started.

That’s why we created our Estate Planning Guide: Preparing to Meet Your Lawyer. It’s a practical “pre-start” guide designed to make that first step less intimidating and far more productive.

Laying the Groundwork for Your Estate Plan

Inside the handout, you’ll find:

• An overview of the key legal documents in an estate plan in British Columbia, such as a will, enduring power of attorney, and representation agreement.
• A checklist of information to gather before you meet with a lawyer — from a list of assets and liabilities to details about beneficiaries and executors.

I encourage clients to review the handout with their family, making notes as they go. By the time you sit down with your lawyer, you’ll have:

• Reflected on your wishes
• Organized your key details
• Prepared for a more focused and productive conversation

Importantly, you don’t need to have every decision finalized before meeting your lawyer. Their role is to guide you through the tough choices, ask the right questions, and make sure your plan is legally sound.

Peace of Mind for You and Your Loved Ones

This guide is designed to make estate planning less daunting and more doable. Even if you already have an estate plan in place, it’s worth revisiting it regularly. Life changes — sometimes quickly — and so should your documents. Ask yourself:

• Are my documents up to date?
• Do they reflect my current wishes?
• Have there been changes in my family, finances, or the law that could affect my plan?

Major life events such as marriage, divorce, the birth of a child or grandchild, a business sale, or a move to another province are all good prompts to review and update your plan.

How Alitis Can Help

While Alitis doesn’t provide legal services, our team has deep estate planning experience and a thorough understanding of our clients’ objectives and family situations. We’re here to talk through your options, help you prepare, and connect you with the right professionals. Whether you’re starting from scratch or updating a plan from years ago, remember: you don’t need to do it all in one sitting, and you don’t need to do it alone. The first step is simply beginning — and we’re here to help make that step easier.

Your future self (and your family) will thank you.

Sincerely,

Emily Hofmann, CIM, CFP
Certified Financial Planner, Alitis Wealth Planning
Portfolio Manager, Alitis Investment Counsel