Frame the conversation first
Tell the prospect that the discussion is a preliminary screen based on limited information. The goal is to identify topics that may warrant further review, not to calculate exact savings, select a product, or recommend a tax strategy during the first meeting.
1. How much of the household's savings is still pre-tax?
A high-level total across traditional IRAs, 401(k)s, 403(b)s, 457 plans, qualified annuities, and similar accounts helps frame Roth conversion and future distribution discussions. Approximate totals are usually sufficient for screening.
2. What retirement income will arrive automatically?
Identify pensions, Social Security, annuity income, rental income, and other recurring sources. Then ask which payments continue, change, or stop for a surviving spouse.
3. How flexible are the household's withdrawal sources?
A mix of pre-tax, Roth, brokerage, and cash accounts may create more choices than a household whose assets are concentrated in one tax category. The first meeting identifies the mix; detailed sequencing belongs in deeper planning.
4. Could future required distributions interact with other income?
The relevant discovery question is not simply whether an IRA exists. It is whether future required distributions, combined with pension and other recurring income, may narrow the household's tax flexibility under the rules that apply at that time.
5. Is Medicare income sensitivity worth a closer look?
Medicare income-related premiums generally use tax information from two years earlier. A current completed return can serve as a proxy for screening, but the advisor should ask about material income changes and obtain the controlling prior-year records before drawing a conclusion.
6. Is Social Security taxation interacting with other income?
Social Security taxation depends on provisional-income concepts and filing status. A preliminary review can identify whether income-source coordination deserves attention without presenting an exact tax projection.
7. What is the composition of taxable investment income?
Ordinary dividends, qualified dividends, interest, and realized capital gains may receive different federal tax treatment. The scanner can identify composition questions; a tax professional should confirm the actual treatment and basis information.
8. Is charitable giving large and recurring enough to review?
Ask about annual giving, age, and IRA assets. Those facts may identify whether qualified charitable distribution rules or other charitable-planning questions deserve professional review.
9. Are estate documents and beneficiary designations current?
Ask whether wills, trusts, powers of attorney, health-care documents, and beneficiary designations exist and when they were last reviewed. A move to another state or a long period without review can support a referral to qualified legal counsel.
10. Does life insurance still have a clear purpose?
Determine whether coverage exists, whether the household identifies a continuing need, and whether sufficiency is known. The initial result should organize an insurance review rather than recommend a policy or coverage amount.
Turn the answers into a follow-up agenda
Rank the planning areas independently, show the highest preliminary indicators first, and state what additional information would be needed. That creates a useful next conversation while keeping the first meeting within appropriate boundaries.