Ask early — getting this wrong burns hours in both directions. If the client took the Family Readiness Assessment, they've already told you: DIY means they want the tools and control; DIFM (done for me) means they want you to handle the complexity.
Broadly, DIY suits engaged, tech-comfortable clients. DIFM suits busy executives, elderly clients, and families who are overwhelmed by the process.
A middle path works well in practice: you build the financial, insurance, and legal records — the ones requiring documents they'd have to dig out anyway — and leave the personal ones (funeral wishes, messages, pet care) to them. Nobody can fill those in on someone else's behalf.
Was this article helpful?
That’s Great!
Thank you for your feedback
Sorry! We couldn't be helpful
Thank you for your feedback
Feedback sent
We appreciate your effort and will try to fix the article