Before We Meet
A Quick Overview of the Process
Thank you for taking the time to meet with me.
I thought this short page might be helpful before we meet, allowing us to spend more time discussing your estate and less time explaining how the process works.
Estate planning is rarely straightforward. And in all cases, families go through three distinct stages.
Each stage serves a different purpose.
The Estate Vulnerability identifies the issues.
The Diagnostic explores potential solutions.
Implementation is where recommendations become reality.
Without a clear understanding of the first stage, it would not be possible to move confidently to the second and third stages.
Stage 1 – Estate Vulnerability Review (EVR)
This is where you currently are, and it’s the foundation of the entire process.
Before we meet, I will have spent several hours reviewing the information you have provided and preparing a personalised 12 page Estate Vulnerability Review.
This report identifies weaknesses, risks and opportunities within your estate and highlights areas that may benefit from further investigation.
Typical areas reviewed include:
✔ Inheritance tax exposure
✔ Assets that may not be structured efficiently
✔ Opportunities to improve income, capital gains and estate planning
✔ Governance, organisation and probate readiness
Without this stage, it would not be possible to move on to finding solutions.
We first need to understand what needs fixing before considering how best to fix it.
This report would normally cost around £500; however, I prefer to provide it completely free of charge as a way of demonstrating value upfront and allowing us to build a relationship before any further work is considered.
When we meet, I will present the report, discuss my findings with you and provide additional observations and ideas that I believe may be useful for your family.
Cost: Provided without charge
Stage 2 – Diagnostic Assessment
If you decide you would like to address some or all of these issues, the next stage is the Diagnostic Assessment.
This is where we move from identifying problems to finding solutions.
Over approximately 10–14 days, I sit down with the relevant specialists, discuss your circumstances in detail and produce a comprehensive 40–50 page report.
This report typically includes:
✔ Potential implementation options
✔ Indicative costs and quotations
✔ Potential tax savings
✔ Risks and unintended consequences
✔ A personalised implementation roadmap
What does this cost?
For most families, the Diagnostic Assessment fee is £2,500.
More complex estates may require a Priority Diagnostic Assessment, which is £5,000.
If you decide to proceed with stage 3, implementation, the cost of the Diagnostic Assessment is credited towards the implementation fee.
Stage 3 – Implementation
This is where recommendations become reality.
✔ Core Financial Engineering
✔ Seven-System Governance Framework
✔ Meetings with pension, trust, property and tax specialists
✔ 36-week implementation Blueprint
✔ Potential savings often measured in several hundred thousand pounds+
Timeframe: Typically 6–9 months
At each stage, you remain in complete control. You may implement the recommendations yourself, work with your existing advisers or ask me to coordinate the process on your behalf.
What does this cost?
Cost: Fixed quotation provided following completion of the Diagnostic Assessment
Looking Ahead
Hopefully this gives you a better understanding of how the process works.
When we meet, I'll present your Estate Vulnerability Review, discuss the weaknesses and opportunities I've identified, and share some additional thoughts that I believe may be helpful for your estate.
Regardless of whether you decide to proceed with the Diagnostic Assessment or Implementation, you'll leave with a much clearer understanding of your current position and the options available to you.
More importantly, our meeting gives us an opportunity to get to know each other and decide whether working together would be beneficial. Estate planning is a long-term process, and I believe trust and good communication are just as important as technical knowledge.
I've already invested several hours reviewing your estate and preparing your personalised report, and I hope you'll find the meeting both informative and worthwhile.
I look forward to meeting you and discussing your estate in more detail.
Ranjeet Singh
Founder, Estate Architect
Estate Architect provides educational research and analysis relating to inheritance tax and estate planning concepts for UK residents. We do not provide regulated investment, tax, or legal advice and are not authorised or regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). Where regulated advice is required, introductions may be made to authorised professionals.
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