When most people think about joining a credit union, they weigh the most common benefits. They get fair loan rates, community support, and more personalized service. Still, life has a way of happening when you make other plans, and your finances can go from secure to unstable in the blink of an eye.
Fortunately, credit unions have yet another major benefit they can offer their customers that’s both meaningful and helpful: estate planning services. By helping members protect those they love most, credit unions are proving their commitment to the community. Through partnerships with platforms like Gentreo, credit unions are now able to help their members create wills, trusts, powers of attorney and other crucial documents that safeguard their family’s future.
Why Estate Planning? Why Now?
So why should credit unions consider adding estate planning to their roster of benefits? Estate plans aren’t just centered around distributing assets after death. Instead, they help give family and loved ones control and peace of mind today, and well into the future.
From guardianship of minor children to managing family property or even managing unexpected health events, having proper estate planning documents like wills and trusts make sure that members’ wishes are carried out on their terms.
Without these documents, state laws can determine how assets are divided, leading to long delays, confusion and even family disputes when emotions are already at an all-time high. What’s more, for many families the biggest reason they haven’t started estate planning yet is three-fold: it’s costly, it’s cumbersome, and it’s complex. Credit unions are uniquely positioned to help make the whole process easier, wrapped up in financial services that people already use.
Credit Unions: Financial Partners with a New Role in Future Peace of Mind
Credit unions are at the heart of community values. They care about the financial well-being of their members. Where traditional banks are motivated by profits, credit unions are always looking for ways to deliver lasting value, which includes protecting family futures through estate planning.
With Gentreo’s digital estate planning tools rolled up into member offerings, credit unions now have a smart way to give their members a full 360-degree financial wellness strategy. They also stand to differentiate themselves from competitors by going beyond basic banking products. By offering estate planning tools, they also help strengthen long-term member relationships backed by trust, and help their members through major life transitions, like marriage, parenthood, homeownership and retirement.
How Gentreo Makes Estate Planning Easy for Credit Union Members
For credit unions that work with Gentreo, members gain access to a complete suite of estate planning tools through our secure digital platform. All of our documents are built to be intuitive and user-friendly, taking ordinarily complex and cumbersome legal paperwork and simplifying it into a step-by-step, guided process.
Using Gentreo, members can quickly create a full set of legal estate planning documents, such as:
- Last Will and Testament – Defines how your assets are distributed and names guardianship for your minor children
- Living Trusts – Potentially helps your estate avoid probate while protecting privacy
- Powers of Attorney – Appoints trusted decision-makers for financial and healthcare needs
- Health Care Proxies – Designates someone to make decisions if you’re unable to do so
- Pet Powers of Attorney and Pet Trusts – Makes sure your pet(s) are cared for in the future.
Beyond making it step-by-step simple to create the documents, members can also safely store and share their estate planning documents via Gentreo’s Digital Family Vault. Think of this as a secure online space where family members can access important estate files anytime, from anywhere.
Making the Essential Simple and Accessible
One of the biggest benefits for credit unions to offer estate planning tools is that families feel as if someone is truly on their side throughout the process – and what better way to position your institution than as the place where your community can turn in their time of need?
When, not if, the unexpected happens, you’ll be able to help them prepare. By using Gentreo, they avoid having to scramble to find documents or make sure everything is done according to their loved ones’ wishes. This way, they reduce stress, sidestep potential inheritance disputes and have ongoing access to tools that can stay updated as their life circumstances change.
Beyond easy accessibility, Gentreo also offers greater affordability. Trying to manage estate planning the traditional way is expensive and time consuming. Gentreo offers the essentials in a cost-effective, accessible online platform that members can use from the comfort of their home, at their own pace.
Oftentimes, customers view estate planning as “only something the wealthy do.” But nothing could be farther from the truth. Suddenly, people of all ages are looking at estate planning with a fresh new perspective, thanks to Gentreo’s educational resources and guided planning tools. These programs and plans help demystify the process and turn planning into a proactive process.
Financial Wellness is Changing – Be on the Forefront of the Next Big Evolution
More and more, people are educating themselves about what financial wellness and preparedness really mean. Estate planning has begun to play an ever more increasing role in these decisions. Credit unions that offer estate planning tools show their community and their members that they’re trusted partners for every stage of their members’ financial lives. From saving for a home to planning for the future, now you can offer your members the ability to secure and protect who and what they love most, with thoughtful legacy planning.
By offering estate planning to your members, you’re giving them a lasting gift that helps them in their deepest time of need. Having access to simple, affordable, and secure estate planning tools helps to lift a significant burden, helping them to take their next steps with greater confidence and certainty.
Ready to learn more about what’s possible? Contact the estate planning experts at Gentreo.com today and let’s build a lasting credit union partnership that gives back to the people that make your community great.
TLDR
Credit unions are expanding their role in financial wellness by offering estate planning tools that help members protect their families and plan for the future. Through partnerships with platforms like Gentreo, credit unions can provide easy access to essential documents such as wills, trusts, powers of attorney, and healthcare proxies. These digital tools simplify what is often a complex and costly process, making estate planning more affordable, accessible, and less intimidating for everyday families. By integrating estate planning into member benefits, credit unions strengthen trust, support members through major life transitions, and differentiate themselves from traditional banks. The result is a more complete financial wellness offering that gives members peace of mind and long-term security for the people and assets they care about most.
