{"id":170800,"date":"2025-09-26T17:03:08","date_gmt":"2025-09-26T17:03:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/170800\/"},"modified":"2025-09-26T17:03:08","modified_gmt":"2025-09-26T17:03:08","slug":"why-some-advisors-avoid-the-term-death-binder","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/170800\/","title":{"rendered":"Why some advisors avoid the term \u2018death binder\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

Open this photo in gallery:<\/a><\/p>\n

Some advisors avoid using the word “death” with clients when discussing estate planning.wildpixel\/iStockPhoto \/ Getty Images<\/p>\n

Good morning. This week, I wrote about how executors-to-be are requesting to see death binders <\/a>as a condition of managing a person\u2019s estate. Death binders are a topic of interest for advisors and clients alike. In July, 2024, I first looked at their surging popularity in estate planner circles<\/a>, and since that time, not a month goes by that I haven\u2019t received a letter from a reader about the subject.<\/p>\n

Consumer readers understand death binders clearly. They either want to share theirs or brainstorm ideas on ways to get theirs started or finished. <\/p>\n

But many advisors chastised me for using a morbid term to describe such an important tool. I didn\u2019t obviously coin \u201cdeath binder\u201d \u2013 I\u2019ve heard dynamic names such as the \u201clegacy folder\u201d or \u201cestate workbook.\u201d But seriously, the advisor reaction left me stymied: Why so afraid to use the word \u201cdeath?\u201d <\/p>\n

I said nothing at the time, but I recently asked the question to some advisors and financial planners.<\/p>\n

Harjeet Sangha, senior wealth advisor at OceanWealth Inc. in Vancouver, says he finds that for some families, the word \u201cdeath\u201d can feel too final. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt often shuts down the conversation before it begins,\u201d he notes. \u201cInstead, I\u2019ll sometimes use the phrase, \u2018When the universe gives you wings.\u2019 It softens the discussion and creates space to focus on what truly matters \u2026 the impact, relationships, and values they want carried forward.”<\/p>\n

Brian Wruk, a trusts and estate practitioner at Transition Financial Advisors Group Inc. in Gilbert, Ariz., often uses the phrase, \u201cWhen you become an angel\u201d instead of \u201cdeath.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDiscussions around estate and incapacity aren\u2019t fun things for clients to talk about, so I try to use language to get them engaged in difficult conversations,\u201d he says. \u201cWho wants to sit around and talk about, \u2018If I die, I want this to happen?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

On the other hand, Adam Weersink, certified financial planner (CFP) at Cox Private Wealth in Lethbridge, Alta., is never uncomfortable talking about death, and for good reason \u2013 his extended family owns several funeral homes. He says advisors need to build \u201cgreat comfort\u201d in discussing death more directly.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile death is a universal reality, [many advisors] tend to remain within our area of expertise: money,\u201d he says. <\/p>\n

\u201cTraditional estate planning naturally aligns with that comfort zone, allowing us to focus on the financial and legal mechanics. But few advisors step beyond those boundaries to address what estate planning means outside of dollars and documents.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jason Heath, managing director and CFP at Objective Financial Partners Inc. in Markham, Ont., also has no qualms using the word \u201cdeath\u201d with clients.<\/p>\n

\u201cToo many clients ignore estate decisions because they do not expect to die,\u201d Mr. Heath says. \u201cBut there\u2019s a 100 per cent probability it will happen. The only uncertainty is when. And unfortunately, it can happen when you least expect it, and that\u2019s the point of planning.\u201d<\/p>\n

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