When his firm rolled out Trusty, one advisor took it for a spin himself. Here’s what he learned.
Shared with permission by an advisor at a firm that offers Trusty to its clients.
If you offer Trusty to your clients, or are thinking about it, this is what it looks like from the client’s side.
Trusty is a family legacy platform offered exclusively through financial advisors. Families organize their documents, people and wishes in the Trusty app, and it all comes together in a professionally printed Estate Binder.
Taking it for a spin
When his firm rolled out Trusty, one advisor decided to experience it the way his clients would: as a client, with his own family’s documents. A colleague had already started with her insurance. He began with his family’s Wills and powers of attorney, which his lawyer had sent him digitally.
4:36 PM: His invitation from Trusty arrives.
4:45 PM: His account is set up. His family’s Wills and powers of attorney are in.
He didn’t scan anything. The app offered to send him an email instead. He replied to it and dragged every document from his lawyer’s email into the reply.
“I’m done! That was it! Nine minutes!”
Not entirely done, he admits. He still has insurance and other details to add, and two-factor authentication to set up. But the experience surprised him. “It was beyond easy and it actually caught me off guard how easy it was.” He emailed his team the minute he finished.
Easier than he expected
His documents started out on paper, so he expected scanning and an afternoon of admin. It took nine minutes.
Clients expect the same. Most know they should get their estate in order. But they picture scanning, digging through drawers and hard conversations, and it slides.
His experience shows how small the first step is. No scanner, no blank page. Just send what you already have. An advisor who has done it can tell a hesitant client that, and mean it.
More than documents and names
The documents are the easy part. What comes next is what makes Trusty different: why a family made the choices they made, what parents want their children to know, the things no Will covers. That’s when it stops being a list of what a family owns and who to call, and becomes something they’ll want to read. All of it comes together in a professionally printed Estate Binder the family can hold.
Why it matters for advisors
Using Trusty as a client changes what an advisor can do with it in their practice.
You see more than the portfolio. As clients add their insurance, documents and the people in their lives, you learn about accounts held elsewhere, the coverage they have and who their executor is. Each one is a planning conversation waiting to happen.
You meet the next generation sooner. Organizing an estate naturally brings in the spouse and the kids. Much of the wealth advisors manage today will one day be decided by people they’ve never met. This gives you a reason to meet them now.
You recommend it from experience. An advisor who has done it can describe their own afternoon instead of a product demo. That’s more convincing to clients, and it gives prospects something real to picture: their family’s story in a printed binder, not another performance review.
Experience it yourself
His advice to his colleagues: “I really encourage you to get one, just one document uploaded. Conversations with clients will be so much easier when you experienced it yourself.”
If your firm offers Trusty, set up your own account and start with one document: your Will, an insurance policy, whatever is already in your inbox. You’ll know exactly what you’re asking your clients to do. For a step-by-step guide, here’s how to start with your first three items.
He’s finishing the rest this weekend, “now that I know how easy it is.”
At a glance
- Who: A financial advisor at a firm that offers Trusty to its clients
- What he did: After his firm rolled out Trusty, he set it up for his own family as a client
- How long it took: Nine minutes, from invitation to his family’s Wills and powers of attorney being in
- How: He replied to an email from the app and attached the documents his lawyer had sent. No scanning.
- What’s next: Insurance, family details, and the wishes and context that go into the Estate Binder
- His advice to advisors: Upload one document. Experience it as a client before you take it to clients.
- Availability: Trusty is offered to families exclusively through their financial advisor
Curious what this could look like in your practice? Gage Mair from our team can walk you through how Trusty works with your clients.
