Intake Questions for Financial Planning Clients Who Just Received an Inheritance

01 September 2026·6 min read

Quick answer: An intake process for a client who's just received an inheritance needs to slow down before it speeds up — the grief and the money arrived together, and a form that jumps straight to "how would you like to invest this?" skips over that. Lead with open, low-pressure questions about the situation and their headspace, then move into practical questions about the asset itself, then finish with goals and timing — never the reverse. Below is the intake question set, three worked scenarios, and the sequencing that keeps it feeling like care, not a sales process. 🤍

An inheritance enquiry is not like a normal new client enquiry. The money is usually the least complicated part — what's actually in the room is grief, guilt, family dynamics, and sometimes a genuine fear of "getting it wrong" with money that came from someone they loved. Get the intake right and you'll be the adviser they trust with the hard conversations for the next twenty years. Get it wrong — even by accident, even with good intentions — and you'll be the adviser who made a hard week harder. 💖

What most financial planners get wrong

Starting with the numbers — "what's the approximate value of the estate?" as question one signals the money matters more than the person, even if that's not the intent.
Moving too fast to strategy — some clients aren't ready to make decisions weeks after a loss, and pushing toward "so what do you want to do with it?" too early can feel like pressure.
Assuming one inheritance looks like another — a cash sum, a house, a super death benefit, and a business each carry completely different practical and emotional weight.
Skipping the "no rush" reassurance — clients often assume they need to decide quickly. Explicitly telling them they don't often relaxes the entire conversation.

Please note: general information, not financial advice — this covers intake conversation design only, not what any individual client should do with an inheritance.

The inheritance intake question set

Part 1 — the person (ask first, always):
"Before we get into any detail — how are you doing with all of this?"
"Is there anything about the timing or the circumstances I should know, so I can be mindful of it?"
"Who else, if anyone, is involved in decisions about this — a sibling, an executor, a partner?"

Part 2 — the asset (practical, not urgent):
"What have you actually received, or what do you expect to receive — cash, property, super, shares, a mix?"
"Where is the estate up to — has probate been granted, is it still in progress?"
"Is any of it already sitting somewhere, like a solicitor's trust account or the estate itself?"

Part 3 — goals and pace (only once 1 and 2 feel settled):
"Is there anything you already know you want to do with some of it — even a small part?"
"Is there a timeframe you're working to, or are you happy to take this slowly?"
"What would 'this went well' look like to you a year from now?"

Three worked scenarios

Client who inherited their parent's home: The practical questions matter here — is the client planning to sell, keep, or move in, and where is the estate administration up to? But lead with acknowledging what the house represents; this is rarely just a property question. A gentle "no rush to decide anything about the house today" often lands better than a sale-vs-keep comparison in the first meeting.

Client who received a super death benefit: These have genuine time-sensitive elements around tax treatment and dependency status, so the intake needs to establish those facts reasonably promptly — but the tone still matters. Frame the early questions as "so we can make sure nothing time-critical is missed," not "so we can move quickly," which reads very differently to someone still grieving.

Client who inherited a share of a family business: This scenario often carries family dynamics alongside the money — other siblings, ongoing roles in the business, obligations that aren't purely financial. The intake should explicitly ask who else is involved in decisions, and give the client space to say "it's complicated" without needing to explain the whole family situation in the first meeting.

Sequencing the actual conversation

Run the three parts of the question set roughly in order, but let the client set the pace — some will want to talk through the numbers quickly because that feels safer than the emotional questions, and that's fine too. The sequence is a guide for you, not a script to enforce. Build in an explicit permission-giving moment early: "there's no timeline you need to meet today, we can take this as slowly as you need" removes a huge amount of unspoken pressure clients bring into the room themselves.

💡 Heads up: Note testimonials are not the way to build trust for this kind of enquiry even where they're otherwise appropriate in your marketing — a windfall or bereavement-related enquiry is deeply personal, and leaning on "look what we did for someone else in this situation" can feel exploitative rather than reassuring. Let your intake process and follow-up care speak for themselves instead.

Mistakes that quietly damage trust

Sending a standard new-client form before the first conversation — a generic intake form with "estimated investable assets" as a dropdown field is a jarring first touchpoint after a loss.
Following up too fast — a call two days after the enquiry chasing "did you want to book that meeting?" can read as eager in a way that feels off given the context.
Assuming urgency — most inheritance decisions aren't actually time-critical (a few genuinely are — flag those gently, don't assume every client's situation is one of them).
Making the client explain grief to justify pace — "no rush" should be offered, not something the client has to ask for.

Frequently asked questions

Should the first contact be a form or a phone call?

A short, warm phone call generally works better than a form for this type of enquiry — it lets the client set the tone and gives you the chance to gauge headspace before asking anything practical. A form can follow once a relationship has started.

Is there ever a genuine reason to move quickly?

Yes — some elements, particularly around super death benefits and certain tax timing windows, do have real time constraints. The nuance is separating what's genuinely time-sensitive from what merely feels urgent, and being honest with the client about which is which rather than treating everything as equally pressing.

How do we handle it when multiple family members are involved and disagree?

Ask early who else is involved in decisions, and be clear about who your actual client is in that dynamic. Family disagreement over an inheritance is common and isn't something an intake questionnaire can resolve — it's a signal to proceed carefully and, where appropriate, recommend the client seek their own independent advice on family or estate matters outside your scope.

Can we use this as a marketing angle — "we help people through inheritances"?

You can position around it broadly, but keep the marketing general and empathetic rather than specific about client situations, and avoid anything that could be read as capitalising on someone else's loss. This is a case where restraint in the marketing itself builds more trust than volume.