This is just an example of what you could ask a client to bring:
Most current investment statements for all investment accounts
Most current retirement account statements for all retirement accounts
Most current checking & savings account statements
Most current tax return
Personal Expense Projection (enclosed)
Estate planning documents
All insurance policies and renewal pages
Listing of all debt. The following on each debt would be helpful
-Balance owed & to whom
-Percentage interest being paid
-Payments remaining
-Current payment & frequency
-Listing of all Real Estate
-Purchase price & year purchased
-Estimate of current value
In reality, the client should bring you all of their financial documents. You could create a script like the following to be used for when you schedule the appointment:
“In order for this experience to be successful for you, you will need to bring all of your financial documents to our meeting. I will send you a list of everything to bring. Essentially, it’s everything that represents your financial life: investment statements, bank statements, insurance policies, tax returns, etc. Will you be able to get these things together for our meeting?”
If the answer is “no,” reschedule the meeting to a time that gives them enough time to show up prepared. If they ask why you need the documents explain, but don’t over-explain, how you knowing all of the facts about their financial situation helps you help them. You may want to remind them that everything is confidential.
