A Fireside Chat About Estate Planning 101 with Joe Strazzeri & Elisabeth Dawson
1h 0m | Jun 9, 2026Joe and Elisabeth join Katie for a fireside conversation about estate planning, family responsibilities, and financial preparedness. They explore how trusts, wills, and successor decision-makers fit within a coordinated plan for incapacity and death. The discussion also covers retirement-account beneficiaries, long-term care, special needs planning, and preparing spouses and younger family members to participate. Recorded in 2020, the conversation connects the legal structures discussed at the time with the ongoing work of family education and professional coordination.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
• Coordinate estate documents, beneficiary choices, and financial planning.
• Prepare family members to work with advisors and manage responsibilities.
• Include care preferences, incapacity, and ongoing support needs in family discussions.
QUESTIONS FOR FAMILY DISCUSSION
- Who would handle our financial affairs if one of us could not?
- Do both spouses understand the plan and know the professionals involved?
- What practical experience are we giving younger family members with money?
- Are there care preferences or ongoing support needs that the plan should address?
- Do our beneficiary arrangements and legal documents fit together?
- When did we last review the plan with our advisors?
MENTIONED IN THE CONVERSATION
- Revocable living trusts and irrevocable trusts
- Trustees, beneficiaries, successor decision-makers, and trust protectors
- Probate and incapacity planning
- The SECURE Act and inherited retirement accounts
- Roth conversions, charitable intentions, and insurance
- Long-term care and special needs planning
- Family financial education and coordinated professional advice
