Inheritance & Unexpected Wealth

Received an inheritance? Slow down before you decide anything.

An inheritance brings relief, grief, opportunity, and pressure all at once, plus real decisions about taxes, investing, and what the money represents. There is rarely a need to decide anything quickly. Checkpoint Planning helps you take the time to get it right.

✓ Free Inheritance Checkpoint Guide ✓ No cost, no obligation clarity session ✓ Thoughtful, unhurried, fiduciary guidance

Get Your Free Guide

The Inheritance Checkpoint Guide: first steps, tax basics, and questions to ask before you invest or spend. Plus an invitation to a free Where We Begin session.

Your information is confidential and never sold. No obligation.

What an Inheritance Puts in Front of You

Decisions worth making carefully, not quickly.

Most inheritance mistakes come from moving too fast. Here's what's actually worth thinking through.

1

Inherited IRA Rules

Required distribution timelines and tax treatment differ significantly depending on your relationship to the deceased.

2

Tax Basics

Understanding step-up in cost basis, potential capital gains, and estate versus income tax exposure.

3

Real Estate & Property

Keep, rent, or sell, weighing the financial and emotional considerations of an inherited home.

4

Investing the Proceeds

Building a portfolio and asset allocation that fits your goals and risk tolerance, not just what was inherited.

5

Debt & Goals

Deciding whether to pay down debt, fund goals, or invest, often all three, in the right proportion.

6

What It Represents

Space to think through what this money means to you, and how you want to honor it, before deciding what to do with it.

Free Resource

The Inheritance Checkpoint Guide

A calm, practical first look at inherited IRA rules, tax basics, and the questions worth asking before you invest, spend, or sell.

Get the Free Guide
The Checkpoint Strategy™

No need to decide everything at once.

1Awareness & Direction

Where We Begin™

Free 45-minute clarity session. No cost, no obligation.

2Secure the Essentials

Identify & Protect™

Understand tax deadlines and protect the assets while you decide.

3Create the Roadmap

Plot Checkpoints™

A plan for investing, spending, and goals, all on your timeline.

4Take Intentional Action

Implement™

Account transfers, investment allocation, and document updates.

5Adapt & Maintain

Track & Reset™

Ongoing reviews as the plan and your goals evolve.

Scott Marcoe, CRPC, Founder of Checkpoint Planning
About Your Planner

Meet Scott Marcoe, CRPC™

Scott helps people navigate inheritance and unexpected wealth thoughtfully, with no pressure to decide quickly. As a fiduciary, he's legally required to act in your best interest, not to rush you into an investment.

"One checkpoint at a time."

Based in Orange County, California, serving clients across the United States via video conference and the Checkpoint Planning Client Portal.

FAQ

Questions people ask after an inheritance.

Do I need to decide what to do with the money right away?

Almost never. Aside from a few tax deadlines worth knowing about, most decisions can, and should, wait until you've had time to think clearly.

I inherited a retirement account. What are the rules?

Inherited IRA distribution rules vary based on your relationship to the original owner and when they passed. This is one of the most common questions we help clients work through.

Can you help me decide what to do with an inherited house?

Yes, we help weigh the financial tradeoffs of keeping, renting, or selling inherited property alongside your broader plan.

I feel guilty about the money. Is that normal?

Very common. The Where We Begin session gives you space to think through what the inheritance represents, not just what to do with it financially.

One checkpoint at a time.

Get the free guide, then schedule your complimentary Where We Begin session whenever you're ready to talk it through.

Get My Free Guide
Get My Free Guide