At this point in your life, you take for granted all of the time that you have spent making financial decisions, accumulating assets, and spending money. When you meet with Arlene, you will be sharing with her the culmination of your efforts. In order for her comments to be as relevant and pertinent as you would want, she will have to get to know you, how you relate to your money, and how some of your past decisions were made.
To use a football analogy, you will be coming to Arlene with the final score of your game. That’s interesting, and tells Arlene where you have ended up. It does not tell her how you played the game – information she will need to help keep your offense moving down the field – not only in the right direction, but with the fewest penalties along the way.
You and Arlene will spend a considerable amount of time talking, with her asking many questions in order to better understand you and your issues.
This takes time.
To help you both decide if she will be able to help you, your first hour with Arlene is complimentary.
At the end of that hour, Arlene will review with you her Disclosures and Privacy Notice that describes her specific process and is part of the Agreement you both will sign.
At the time you sign the Agreement, you will pay a nominal nonrefundable Administrative Fee to become a client. This same Administrative Fee will be due each calendar year that you remain an active client; and entitles you to call on Arlene throughout the year without having to execute a new Agreement. For the services Arlene provides after the initial one-hour free consultation, her hourly rate (plus expenses) will be billed as detailed in the
Disclosures document.
Arlene understands that most people are not accustomed to paying hourly fees, and she is careful to make sure that her bills are itemized so that you know exactly what work she has done for you.
It would be ideal if Arlene could tell you here how much your work will cost in total. Unfortunately, everyone’s situation is different. Complexities of plans and dynamics of family interactions all play a part in the time required and cost to administer your Estate and/or Trust. This is more effectively addressed in the Disclosures document.
Arlene is an independent Professional Fiduciary, and receives no compensation from you other than the hourly fees you pay. She does not handle securities or insurance, or receive commissions for her work for clients; and her service is not dependent on the value of your investments or assets.
