The Advisor's Preparedness Audit
National Preparedness Month is observed every September to encourage individuals, families,
and communities to plan for disasters and emergencies.
Sponsored by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), this annual campaign
emphasizes actionable steps such as understanding local risks, making a family emergency
plan, building an emergency supply kit, and getting involved in community preparedness
efforts.1
Food, water, medicine, and a well-stocked go-bag can help clients remain safe in an
emergency. But they may still be financially and legally unprepared if their important documents
are inaccessible, their insurance coverage does not match the risks they face, or their estate
plan is not disaster-ready.
According to national data from 2024,2 weather and climate disasters have become more
frequent, more severe, and more costly. Advisors should give emergency preparedness the
same attention they give other events that could disrupt a client's life and financial plan. A
simple preparedness audit can reveal gaps before clients and their families are forced to
address them under pressure.
Background on National Preparedness Month
While the word disaster may bring to mind hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, or wildfires, it can
encompass a much wider range of events.
Under the federal disaster-declaration system and FEMA's emergency-preparedness guidance,
disasters and emergencies may include earthquakes, severe winter storms, droughts,
explosions, landslides, public health crises, terrorist attacks, cyberattacks, active shooter
incidents, power outages, and other hazards affecting Americans' homes, businesses, and
communities.3
National Preparedness Month grew out of the heightened focus on emergency readiness
following the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. FEMA launched the annual campaign with
partner organizations in 2004, and it has since expanded into a nationwide effort.
Five Predisaster Questions to Ask Clients
FEMA provides a checklist of four key actions that everyone should take to prepare for potential
disasters and emergencies where they live.4 Advisors can build on that foundation with a fivequestion client audit conducted at an annual meeting or when a natural disaster comes up in the
local news. FEMA's location-based resources can also help advisors and clients identify
disaster risks and preparedness information specific to their area.5
- Are your client's important documents somewhere safe? Financial records, deeds,
insurance policies, and legal documents should be protected from fire, water damage,
theft, and other physical risks. Original paper copies may need to be stored in a fireresistant, waterproof safe or at a secure location away from the client's home, such as a
bank safe deposit box, an attorney's office, or the home of a trusted person in a different
area.
- Are your client's estate planning documents up to date? Wills, trusts, powers of
attorney, and healthcare directives should be current in case an emergency forces the
plan into action. Outdated documents can create confusion or delay when someone
needs to act during a disaster.
- Does someone else know where to find the client's key documents? To be usable,
estate and financial planning documents must be locatable. Clients should provide family
members, fiduciaries, and trusted contacts with instructions on how to find and access
documents where they are stored.
- Is your client's insurance adequate for the risks they face? Clients should review
whether their current coverage and policy limits are sufficient for the risks in their area,
including current rebuilding costs and exclusions for hazards such as flooding or
earthquakes.
- Have your clients explored policy riders that could further protect them?
Endorsements or riders may help address gaps and other risks not fully covered by a
standard policy, such as sewer or water backup, high-value personal property, business
interruption, or work equipment.
If not addressed beforehand, each of these items can compound an emergency and complicate
a client's response. Because disasters often strike suddenly and leave little time to act, the
federal government and FEMA stress preparation. Advisors should encourage the same from
clients.
Connect Clients Before Disaster Hits
There is a saying, "Poor planning on your part does not necessitate an emergency on mine."
For advisors, however, that is not strictly true.
When disaster strikes, an advisor may receive a panicked call from a client who needs to
update a plan, locate an important document, or explore additional insurance options. While
advisors do what they can to help in these situations, there may be only so much they can do in
the middle of an emergency. They may also be dealing with its effects, especially if they work
and live in the same area as their clients.
The time to address disaster preparedness with clients is in the relative calm of your
office before an emergency occurs, not amid the heightened pressure of an earthquake,
storm, or fire evacuation.
While it can be easy for clients to assume that a serious disaster will not happen to them, the
data suggests that it is increasingly a matter of when, not if.
With incidents such as floods and wildfires on the rise, and one national survey estimating that
more than 3 million US adults - about one in 70 - were displaced from their homes by a natural
disaster in the preceding year,6 that type of risk should not be dismissed out of hand. Doing so
can be catastrophic in its own right.
Advisors should not simply catastrophize. They should give clients practical resources for
preparation. That includes connecting them with estate planning attorneys and insurance
specialists who can help ensure that their plans are ready when a disaster hits.
MEREDITH | PC
4325 Windsor Centre Trail
Suite 400
Flower Mound Texas 75028
214-513-1013
This newsletter is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be construed as written advice about a Federal tax matter. Readers should consult with their own professional advisors to evaluate or pursue tax, accounting, financial, or legal planning strategies.
You have received this newsletter because I believe you will find its content valuable. Please feel free to Contact Me if you have any questions about this or any matters relating to estate planning.
