For true disaster preparedness, estate planning conversations are crucial

Every fall, FEMA reminds Americans to take stock of their emergency plans: September is National Preparedness Month, but the need for disaster readiness is year-round. Making sure we have enough water, canned goods, batteries and other necessities on hand in the event of a hurricane, earthquake or other natural disaster is an essential exercise. 

But if we stop there, we miss a larger and more human part of what it means to be prepared. 

I learned this the hard way after I lived through not one but two major hurricanes in Florida last year. I found myself running around my home, panicking at the prospect of losing not only irreplaceable family mementos to the floodwaters but also crucial estate planning files I'd carelessly left out in the open.

It was a wake-up call that preparedness isn't just about hunkering down with batteries and bottled water. It's about protecting my family's future and making sure loved ones know what to do if I'm not there — in other words, estate planning.

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How can advisors drive this message home in client meetings? Here's the counterintuitive part: You don't have to open with sensitive matters like wills and trusts; instead, start with insurance. Why? Because such conversations surface real-world gaps and concrete next steps that naturally flow into estate planning. These three targeted questions can open the door to such discussions:

What — and where — are your most prized possessions?

A surprising number of people can't remember where they keep their valuables, whether that's jewelry, artwork or a baseball card collection. Further, they often don't know whether these possessions have been appraised. Asking this simple question can lead to clients documenting items, uploading photos and valuations and creating a short "where to find it" note for trustees.

Would your trustee know what to do if you're not around?

Reframe preparedness as a gift of clarity. Who's the first call? Where are the policies? Which accounts require immediate attention? A digital safe is a secure refuge for insurance policies, account lists, powers of attorney, letters of instruction and those quick notes that save survivors hours of guesswork. 

Clients routinely hold meaningful value in "invisible" assets like online accounts, loyalty points, creative libraries, even crypto wallets, yet leave no inventory or access plan. A digital estate plan — or at minimum, an updated password and account inventory stored securely — is now table stakes.

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Is your family properly covered?

Revisit liability, umbrella and property coverage to match today's realities, then store the policies and proofs where family can actually find them. Umbrella coverage, often layered in $1 million increments over home and auto policies, can be the difference between a minor incident and a financially devastating lawsuit, but only if someone knows it exists and how to file a claim.

Preparedness sprint

To keep these meetings bite-size and logistically and emotionally scalable, I recommend a single, advisor-client working session followed by tasks to be performed by you and/or your client:

• Valuables reality check: In the meeting, have clients list the top 10 items they care about, confirm items' location and note whether an appraisal exists. Homework: Have clients photograph each and upload to a secure, cloud-based vault. If clients work with you on digital tools they can add the photos to the vault within their account. If needed, clients can coordinate with their insurance agent to add endorsements or separate riders for items likely above sublimits.
• Coverage tune-up: Review homeowners personal property limits, theft sublimits and deductibles; assess umbrella coverage given assets, income and risk. Then ensure declaration pages (summary pages of home, auto or umbrella insurance policies listing coverage types, limits, deductibles and premiums) and agent contact info are stored in the digital vault. Schedule appraisals for any item not yet documented. Appraisals do double duty, providing accurate insurance values when making claims and more efficient estate administration later.
• Estate access: Help clients confirm existence/location of will, power of attorney and health care directives. Together list account institutions and beneficiary designations. Clients can add a short "If I'm unavailable" note that names who to call first and where valuables live. Once more, this should be stored in the digital vault. 
• Digital life: Create or refresh an inventory of key accounts and instructions. (The inventory should not necessarily include passwords, but rather a note indicating which password manager the client uses and who can access it in an emergency.) 

National Preparedness Month may have already come and gone this year, but it gives advisors a year-round cue to lead without selling fear. If discussions around preparing for natural disasters are done correctly, clients will be left with not just better coverage and cleaner documents but with the value preparedness really confers — confidence that the people they love won't be left guessing if the worst occurs.