Cowles Members Only

Cowles Members Only online resources for building your estate planning practice

Build a marketing plan, establish goals and objectives, connect with your peers, and much more.

Practice-Building Tools

Trying to grow your practice? You'll find everything you need in this set of tools, including:

Financial resources - fee agreements, cash flow and calendaring, client handouts on fees and services, income forecasting
Marketing and public relations resources - creating a marketing plan, news releases, ads (including newspaper and radio copy), PowerPoint slide presentation, script and organizational materials for public speaking
Office management resources - "Answering Incoming Calls" script for receptionist, appointment calendaring and planning worksheets, appointment confirmation letters
Relationship building resources - client correspondence and flyers, correspondence to promote referrals and build relationships
Additional resources -Trust Amendment and Codicil Procedures, client information regarding review of estate plan, in-office estate plan update worksheet

Use the Marketing Assistant to schedule activities to build your practice and download related materials to help implement those plans; even set up email reminders to help you stay on track!

Substantive Information

Access an extensive, searchable database with sections on:

Tax planning - estate, inheritance, income, and GST planning
Drafting and funding the revocable living trust (including step-by-step procedures on specific types of assets)
Lifetime gifting and the irrevocable trust
Streamlining the practice

Drafting Aids

From pre-appointment activity and scheduling through drafting and document generation, you will have access to a vast collection of materials.

Document Execution and Funding

Access resources for implementing signing appointment procedures, including educating clients to help them understand their plan, coordinated funding of trusts, and execution of all integrated supporting documents.

Continuing Service Resources

Practical methods to keep clients coming back and to build referrals, including restatement language, trust addendums, and codicils.

Documents for Download

Download valuable estate planning and trust administration documents, including:

Estate planning worksheets for client preparation prior to appointments (versions for married, single, and domestic partners)
Checklists for attorney use in drafting during the initial appointment
Amendments and restatements to trusts
Business related documents
Authorizations, consents, trustee resignations, etc.
Documents related to disability
Postmortem documents including disclaimers, correspondence, and Affidavit of Death

MemberDocs

Offers Trust Plus and TrusTerminator subscribers the ability to exchange materials through easy upload and download options. Use this feature as a resource for documents, phrases, articles, marketing materials, slides, and other items submitted by your peers.

Technical Resources

Access the quick start guide, software guides, Tech Tip archive, and more.

InstantUpdate

Download the latest Cowles updates to keep your software current.

Internet Links

Find easy access to information such as the Uniform Probate Code, the U.S. Code, IRS Applicable Federal Rates, Revenue Bulletins and Treasury Regulations, and sites such as the ABA or State Bar Associations.