Documents don’t maintain themselves. We do.

AMP & CCP — Ongoing Care for a Plan That Actually Works

 

Annual Maintenance (AMP) and Continuing Counsel (CCP) keep your estate plan funded, current, enforceable, and coordinated—so your family avoids court, conflict, and chaos.

Most plans fail in the same way: nothing gets updated. A beneficiary form lags behind a life change. A new account never gets titled to the trust. Laws shift. Trustees aren’t trained. Then a crisis hits, and the family discovers the plan was beautiful on paper—just not in practice. AMP and CCP exist to prevent that.
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Who chooses to add AMP or CCP onto their Plans? (and Why)?

Families, singles, and owners who want a relationship, not a one‑time binder: young parents who know life moves fast, seniors updating older documents, blended families protecting both spouse and children, HNW households with taxes and privacy in view, special‑needs or Medicaid‑aware families, and business owners whose signatures and shares change over time.

What is AMP?

AMP (Annual Maintenance Program) is your yearly tune‑up. Once a year we sit down, review your life changes, and put your plan back into alignment. We verify funding and beneficiaries, update documents when needed, and make sure the people you’ve chosen—agents, executors, and trustees—are still the right fit.

What you can expect under AMP

  • Annual review meeting (60–90 minutes) with a plain‑English status report (the Annual Scorecard)

  • Funding & titling audit: deeds, account titles, beneficiary forms; new accounts captured and aligned with your trust/Will

  • Beneficiary clean‑up for IRAs/401(k)s/life insurance; SECURE Act checks for timing and EDB status

  • Document updates: minor amendments, codicils/restatements when needed

  • Trustee Playbook refresh and successor training on practical steps

  • Secure Client Vault maintenance and emergency access instructions

  • Life event capture: marriage/divorce, new child, property sale, diagnosis, retirement, business changes

  • NJ‑specific checks: county deed recording confirmations, shore/out‑of‑state property titling, potential NJ inheritance tax exposure for non‑Class A heirs

Outcome: Your plan stays funded, signatures are in the right places, and surprises are eliminated before they appear.

What is CCP?

CCP (Continuing Counsel Plan) is Family Office‑lite: quarterly cadence and active advisor coordination. It’s for households that want their legal, tax, investment, and insurance decisions wired together all year—not revisited once a year.

What you can expect under CCP

  • Quarterly reviews (or more during transactions) with clear agendas and action lists

  • Advisor Summits: we meet with your CPA/EA, CFP®/RIA, insurance professional, and trust officer to align moves and reduce tax/administrative friction

  • Funding tracker with KPIs: % titled to trust, % beneficiary‑aligned, missing confirmations, deeds in flight

  • ILIT administration (if applicable): Crummey notices, trustee logs, premium coordination, policy reviews

  • Retirement oversight: beneficiary strategy across IRAs/401(k)s, SRT updates, 10‑year rule planning under SECURE, Roth conversion coordination (with CPA)

  • Specialized workflows: SNT distributions and benefits‑safe practices; MAPT lookback tracking; QSST/ESBT calendars for S‑corp shares; portability/706 timing if relevant

  • Risk dashboard: lawsuit and creditor exposures, umbrella policy review, business buy‑sell readiness, signature authority maps

  • Family governance: values letters, Legacy Story Recording refreshes, family meetings with agendas and follow‑ups

Outcome: Fewer “oops,” faster green‑lights, and decisions made with a full view of taxes, markets, and people—before year‑end crunch.

How the Cadence Works

  1. Onboarding (month 1): Load your vault, baseline funding audit, and set advisor contacts. Create your Design Memo and first Annual Scorecard.

  2. AMP cycle (annual): One deep review, deliver updates, and verify funding. Mid‑year check‑in if life changes.

  3. CCP cycle (quarterly): Q1–Q4 reviews with Advisor Summit; execute changes (deeds, beneficiaries, notices), update KPIs.

  4. Emergency support: Priority access for sudden health or financial events; playbooks activated.

We also schedule reminders around birthdays, anniversaries, RMD/SECURE timelines, property tax deadlines, and insurance renewals.

What we Monitor (so you don’t have to)

  • Funding & titles: Are new accounts/deeds aligned with the trust? Any lingering bank/recording confirmations?

  • Beneficiaries: Do IRA/401(k)/life designations match the design? Are minor or special‑needs beneficiaries protected?

  • People & roles: Are agents/trustees/executors still right? Do they need training?

  • Laws & taxes: SECURE Act changes, portability windows (706), gift reporting (709), NJ inheritance tax exposure, ILIT compliance

  • Businesses: Buy‑sell updates, key‑person coverage, successor authority, QSST/ESBT calendars

  • Digital assets: Password manager, crypto keys/custody, social/domain directives

  • Care & benefits: SNT practices, MAPT lookback, caregiver agreements, long‑term care insurance reviews

Deliverables you'll Receive

  • Annual Scorecard (status, gaps, action items)

  • Funding Tracker with confirmations

  • Updated Design Memo (what changed and why)

  • Trustee Playbook refresh + training, as needed

  • Advisor Summit notes (CCP)

  • Secure Client Vault updates and access protocol

AMP vs. CCP (choose your Level)

AMP — Annual Maintenance Program

  • 1 annual review + scorecard

  • Funding/beneficiary audit & simple updates

  • Minor amendments/codicils

  • Vault maintenance

  • Trustee Playbook refresh

CCP — Continuing Counsel Plan

  • Quarterly reviews + Advisor Summits

  • KPIs + Funding Tracker in real time

  • ILIT administration (if applicable)

  • Retirement/SRT oversight; SECURE planning

  • Specialized workflows (SNT/MAPT/QSST/ESBT)

  • Family meetings + legacy work

Not sure which fits? We’ll recommend based on assets, complexity, and how quickly your life moves.

NJ specifics (why you need a Local Firm)

  • Deed recordings & county timing: certain counties can backlog; we verify and follow through

  • Inheritance‑tax awareness: non‑Class A heirs (siblings, nieces/nephews, friends) can trigger tax—plan distributions with this in mind

  • Guardianship/kids: NJ‑compliant temporary/standby documents and school/daycare releases stay current under AMP/CCP

FAQs

Can I switch from AMP to CCP later?
Yes. Many clients start on AMP and move to CCP when assets or complexity grow.

Is funding really included?
We don’t hand you a binder and wish you luck. We quarterback deeds, titles, and beneficiary updates—then track confirmations.

Do you coordinate with my CPA/financial planner?
Yes—especially under CCP. The point is to connect your plan to your tax and investment life.

What about ILIT notices and trustee logs?
We handle Crummey notices and keep the files clean so benefits aren’t jeopardized.

Will you update my plan when laws change?
We flag relevant updates in your reviews and propose amendments or restatements when needed.

Do you post pricing online?
We quote transparent, fixed annual fees after we assess your needs. Discounts/consideration for NJ seniors, military, and educators may apply.

If you want your plan to work when it’s needed, AMP and CCP are how we make that happen. Choose the cadence that fits your life.

Quick Glossary

  • AMP: Annual Maintenance Program (once‑a‑year review/tune‑up)

  • CCP: Continuing Counsel Plan (quarterly reviews + advisor coordination)

  • RLT: Revocable Living Trust (privacy/administration tool)

  • SNT: Special Needs Trust (benefits‑safe planning)

  • MAPT: Medicaid Asset Protection Trust (long‑term care planning)

  • ILIT: Irrevocable Life Insurance Trust (life‑insurance management/liquidity)

  • SRT: Stand‑Alone Retirement Trust (retirement‑account inheritance control)

  • QSST/ESBT: Trusts that can hold S‑corp stock with proper elections

  • SECURE Act: Federal law governing retirement‑account inheritances and timelines

Related Legal Services

Services we offer in connection with Estate Planning

Real estate transactions (purchase/sale, deed work, LLC transfers), business & succession planning (buy‑sell agreements, family LLC/FLP), civil litigation (probate disputes, fiduciary claims), and elder law/long‑term care planning.

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