Listening to Understand

Having been together since high school, Dan and Jan’s lives are inextricably intertwined. They golf, travel and enjoy rides on their pontoon boat together. They openly discuss their health and financial concerns.

“She comes to my doctor appointments, and I go to hers,” shares Dan. “We have the same passwords for our phones.”

It struck them both as interesting, therefore, to be treated as anything other than equal in the estate planning process.

“Our attorney is great, but he knows that I’m a lawyer,” explains Dan. “He would expect me to understand what he was saying, assuming that I would then help Jan later. Rather than him trying to teach Jan about something in the moment, he’d just tell me.”

So, when Jan attended a Barnabas Foundation planning seminar, she was pleasantly surprised by the contrast.

Jan attended the presentation because she and Dan were stuck on how best to update their wills. They wanted to structure their plan in a way that would support their favorite ministries while also protecting and providing for their children.

“The presenter, a Barnabas Foundation planner, listened to what my concerns were,” says Jan, “and then she was able to decide that yes, indeed she could help us.

Since then, Dan and Jan have had several conversations with the planner and others from the Barnabas Foundation team.

“Barnabas is willing to listen to what I have to say without interrupting,” says Jan, “without trying to put their words into my mouth.”

“When I spoke with our attorney, he wanted to be very efficient,” says Dan. “He knew any meeting would cost us a lot of money. So, he would rush me. He would interject and try to interpret. With our planner, it was not like that.”

She heard what I had to say, provided feedback and then put everything in writing in an efficient way,” adds Jan. “Not only did she acknowledge me, but she also acknowledged Dan and helped us get on the same page – which I appreciate, because I don’t always understand where he’s coming from.”

The end result of these conversations?

Dan and Jan now have an updated, completed plan that reflects their goals and values – in less time and for less expense than it would have cost them otherwise.

“When we presented Barnabas Foundation’s blueprint to our attorney to amend our will, it ended up taking less than 30 minutes, instead of a two-hour appointment,” says Jan. “We could have bypassed Barnabas entirely, but it would have cost us an arm and a leg.”

“I’m relieved,” says Jan. “That’s the biggest service our planner offered us: to listen, interpret, and come up with a plan.”

“We feel good now, having everything updated and where it should be,” adds Dan. “I’m sure in a few years, we’ll do it again.”