Families put tremendous care into building thoughtful estate and financial plans, but one of the most meaningful steps often happens outside the formal documents: creating space for open family conversation. This resource center was designed to support you in that process. Here you’ll find short videos, practical guidance, and a simple playbook to help you prepare for and hold a productive family meeting that gives your heirs clarity and confidence for the future. Our goal isn’t to change your existing plan, but to help you communicate it in a way that strengthens understanding and preserves relationships. We hope these tools make those conversations easier and more intentional for your family.

To help you think about how to begin this conversation, we’re pleased to introduce an article written by our very own, Jackie Russell. It highlights why a family meeting can be so valuable and how even a simple conversation can strengthen understanding across generations. Our hope is that these insights give you a helpful starting point as you consider what communication might look like within your own family.

To support you further, we’ve created a short video series featuring conversations with members of our team. These round‑table discussions explore the importance of a family meeting, how to host one, and what can happen when those conversations don’t occur. These videos are designed to be simple, conversational, and easy to share with your family as you begin thinking through your own approach.

• Introduction to a Family Meeting: A discussion with John Schutz, David Perigo, and Jackie Russell on the basics (why family meetings matter and when to consider holding one).
• Hosting a Family Meeting: A deeper dive with David Perigo and Jackie Russell preparing for and facilitating your own meeting, including helpful frameworks and practical do’s and don’ts.
• Estate Planning Gone Wrong: A candid conversation with Felicia Hostettler and Justin Soderlund on real‑world estate planning situations that went wrong and how better communication could have changed the outcome.

We’ve designed a clear, approachable estate planning booklet to help you organize your wishes, guide your family, and protect your legacy. With tools like a family document locator, advisor tree, and simple checklists, it makes the planning process easier and encourages meaningful conversations with the people who matter most.

Baird Trust has provided trust administration, estate settlement, charitable giving and investment management services for a wide array of individual and institutional clients for nearly 40 years. When reviewing your estate or engaging in estate planning, consider what Baird Trust can do for you. Services available include: 

National Estate Planning Week is October 19 - 25, 2026. National Estate Planning Awareness Week was adopted in 2008 by the House of Representatives to help the public understand what estate planning is and why it is such a vital component of financial wellness. The National Association of Estate Planners & Councils have additional resources available on their website, click the link below to view.

During National Estate Planning Week watch for further communications from our team regarding estate planning.