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Putting your client at the heart of the conversation
Estate planning is a deeply personal process that is unique to each client.
For your client, estate planning is the last chapter of their story - the place where love and legacy come together. For you, it’s also a critical step in shaping their broader financial strategy, where your guidance makes all the difference.
With four simple steps, you can begin the important work of helping your clients leave a legacy. The EPIC approach to estate planning will help them plan for what’s next.
Together, let’s make their story epic.
The EPIC approach
EPIC is your guide through the estate planning process. Estate planning isn’t a stack of documents to be tucked away and forgotten. It’s a living plan that starts with thoughtful questions and grows into a tailored roadmap, designed by your client and guided by you and their legal team.
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The Securian Financial Advanced Sales Team provides case design consultation, research, legislative review and so much more.
Keep clients’ story at the center using EPIC
Follow these steps to create a thorough and well-rounded estate plan.
Gather info
Every estate plan begins with understanding what your clients own, who they love, and what they want their legacy to be. Accurate details about family, assets, and ownership form the foundation for everything that follows.
Use the EPIC tools to guide these early conversations and help clients start shaping their vision for the future.
For couples during life
Early planning builds confidence and clarity. Begin with how your clients want to handle incapacity or illness, then explore their hopes and priorities for when the first spouse passes away.
Ask questions such as:
- Who do they trust to help make decisions?
- How much protection should the surviving spouse have?
- What should pass to their descendants or community?
For couples after death
Next, explore what happens when both spouses are gone.
Ask questions such as:
- What are their fears and wishes for their heirs?
- How do they want to pass down assets?
- Would they like to give back to their community through charities, foundations, or faith organizations?
As their financial professional, you bring clarity and compassion to these discussions, helping clients build a plan that truly reflects their story.
Materials for your clients
Materials for your client’s attorney
Determine goals
Estate planning is more than transferring wealth. It’s about protecting a client’s story and values. Their goals emerge from personal vision and the insights you uncover together. For those new to estate planning, EPIC removes uncertainty by equipping you with the questions and confidence to uncover what truly matters.
EPIC fact finder
The EPIC fact finder will give you the pertinent questions to ask your client and help both of you determine your client’s best course of action.
Materials for your clients
Materials for your client’s attorney
Analyze and align
Estate planning comes to life when goals become action. Whether your client already has a plan or is starting fresh, your role is to bring clarity, identifying documents, ownership details, and beneficiary designations that shape the full picture. From there, refine what you’ve learned into strategies that truly reflect your client’s intentions.
You don’t have to do it alone. Collaborate with your client’s CPA, tax advisor, and estate planning attorney, and draw on Securian Financial's sales support teams for specialized product insight. Together, you’ll help your client build a plan that works in harmony with their wishes and values.
Materials for your client’s attorney
Recommend and implement
With the right strategy in place, your next step is to guide your client toward an informed decision. This is where planning turns into action, where insights become steps forward.
Use the available tools to connect your recommendations to your client’s goals and outline the actions that bring their plan to life.
Through clear guidance and follow-through, you help ensure their estate plan reflects both their wishes and the story they want to leave behind.
Materials for your client’s attorney
Insights & tools for your clients
Estate planning: A final gift to your family
Estate planning is one of the most meaningful steps you can take to protect your loved ones and preserve your legacy. Learn estate planning basics here.
Estate planning for parents of children with special needs
Estate planning can help ensure your loved ones are protected and provided for, addressing various aspects such as special needs trusts, ABLE accounts, and life insurance considerations.
Please keep in mind that the primary reason to purchase a life insurance product is the death benefit.
Life insurance products contain charges, such as Cost of Insurance Charge, Cash Extra Charge, and Additional Agreements Charge (which we refer to as mortality charges), and Premium Charge, Monthly Policy Charge, Policy Issue Charge, Transaction Charge, Index Segment Charge, and Surrender Charge (which we refer to as expense charges). These charges may increase over time, and these policies may contain restrictions, such as surrender periods. Policyholders could lose money in these products.
Policy loans and withdrawals may create an adverse tax result in the event of lapse or policy surrender and will reduce both the surrender value and death benefit. Withdrawals may be subject to taxation within the first fifteen years of the contract. Clients should consult their tax advisor when considering taking a policy loan or withdrawal.
This material may contain a general analysis of federal tax issues. It is not intended for, nor can it be used by any taxpayer for the purpose of avoiding federal tax penalties. This information is provided to support the promotion or marketing of ideas that may benefit a taxpayer. Taxpayers should seek the advice of their own tax and legal advisors regarding any tax and legal issues applicable to their specific circumstances.
For financial professional use only. Not for use with the public. This material may not be reproduced in any form where it is accessible to the general public.
DOFU 2-2026
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