The Fourth Seat at the Table

There's an old idea in the business and networking world called the Triangle of Trust. These are the three most trusted advisors a person can have: their attorney, their financial advisor, and their tax professional. 

Those three get the spotlight. They get the referrals. They get treated like the inner circle of a family's most important decisions. And rightfully so, I have people for each of these in my life too. 

I've spent years thinking about that triangle, and I've come to believe it's missing a corner, because here's what few people realize:

Those three professionals spend enormous energy just trying to get their foot in the door of their prospective clients. They work hard to prove and differentiate themselves, they market, they chase the appointments. 

Meanwhile, there's a professional who gets invited in, who sits down at the kitchen table during the biggest moments of a family's life, who's already trusted, already vetted, already there.

The notary.

Think about it, nothing moves without us. 

We're the front line of these trusted relationships, and we're the last line of defense against fraud. 

We've earned a seat at that table, but most of us just never claimed it.

Let’s  talk about what it looks like to claim it.

The Problem 

Most estate plans transfer wealth, but almost none of them transfer the clarity families need to execute the plan.

Think about that. 

A family can do everything right. They can get the will. They can set up the trust. They can check all the boxes. And then someone passes away, and their loved ones still have no idea where anything actually is. 

• Which accounts exist?
• What are the passwords?
• Who do they call? 
• What did  that person actually want for their final wishes?

I've heard it called the Morbid Scavenger Hunt. Kids flying in from across the country, digging through drawers and filing cabinets, trying to reassemble an entire life while they're grieving. It happens every single day.

The numbers are staggering. 

Did you know…

There's over a billion dollars in unclaimed life insurance sitting in state treasuries right now? 

How does that happen? 

Because families never knew the policies existed. 

But wait, there’s more! (You know I love saying that)

State treasuries hold an estimated $70 billion in unclaimed assets overall. That’s cash and assets that families needed, just sitting in limbo, all because nobody left a roadmap or a way to find all that stuff.

There’s no arguing this. Results don’t lie. And there’s $70 billion sad, lonely dollars to prove it. 

A will tells you who gets what, but it doesn't tell you where anything is. That gap, between the documents and the clarity to act, is where families fall apart.

The Notary's Opportunity

We can’t keep deferring or deflecting our influence. We’re needed for more than a stamp. We just have to think bigger. 

Attorneys reach families who already know they need an estate plan. Financial advisors reach families with enough assets to need a financial advisor. Insurance agents reach families who want, or already bought a policy.

Now think about everybody else. 

Think about the families who don't have an attorney, who never thought they had enough assets to bother, and who avoid this entire topic because it feels overwhelming or morbid. 

Who reaches them?

We do!

Notaries do.

Every day! 

We have proximity, because we're physically in the home, at the table. 

We have trust, being bonded and commissioned by the state, which by the way, takes other professionals years to build. 

We have volume, because a busy notary might see ten, twenty, thirty people in a week, when an estate planning attorney might see ten in a month.

And we have timing, because we show up at the exact moments people are already thinking about this stuff, like during loan signings, powers of attorney, advance directives, and other estate documents.

We're already in the room. We're already trusted. The conversation is already on the table. The only thing most of us have been missing is a way to actually help, beyond the stamp.

Meet the New Certification Program

That's why My Life & Wishes and I built the Certified Legacy Vault Advisor program.

At the center of it is the Legacy Vault, a secure digital platform where a family organizes everything their loved ones would ever need in one place.

This is documents, accounts, instructions, wishes, even personal video messages to loved ones. It's the missing piece of a complete estate plan, the thing that turns a pile of paperwork into a roadmap. 

The program certifies notaries to bring that tool to the families they serve, and it's four things working together.

1. A bootcamp that trains you on exactly how to do this, at your own pace.
2. A certification you earn and put after your name, the kind of credential that changes how families and other professionals see you. 
3. A private community of fellow partners sharing what works, with live calls twice a month. 
4. And exclusive access to offer the Legacy Vault to families, as a product where you keep 100% of every sale.

It isn't a passive affiliate program. You don’t sign up and cross your fingers, hoping something trickles in. 

This is a legacy division you build right inside the notary practice you already have. You blend it into your workflow and everyday life. 

It becomes part of your business identity and the value you bring to your community. 

You Know More People Than You Think

When notaries hear this, the first worry is almost always the same: "I'm not a salesperson. I wouldn't know what to say."

I understand that completely, so let me take the pressure off.

This isn’t about selling. It's about sparking a conversation with someone you already know and care about. 

And, here’s the thing, you know far more of those people than you realize. We tend to think our circle is small, and then we actually start counting. 

Think about: 

• Your family. 
• Your neighbors. 
• Your friends. 
• The people at your church, your networking group, your kid's team. 
• The folks you see every week without thinking twice about it.

 Every one of them has a family and a whole life that nobody has organized yet.

And the conversation about that is simpler than you'd expect. 

It can sound as easy as this:

"Hey, I came across something that helps families avoid total chaos when someone passes away or ends up in the hospital. If I sent you a quick 2-minute video, would you watch it?"

That's the whole thing. You're not pitching anything. You're not convincing them. You're just offering to share something that might help.

Speaking of that video, here's the one our partners use to explain it. It does the heavy lifting in about two minutes:

Watch the 2-minute video

What goes through your own head when you watch that? 

Most people see it and immediately say, “Yes, I need that, and so does everyone in my family!” 

I know I did. In fact, having this Legacy Vault loaded up with all my info was the only piece of my estate plan in place when I dearly died a few years ago. Even without my trust and will buttoned up, I rested easy knowing that my wishes were known and they knew where everything was. 

The Bigger Picture

I think we're standing at a turning point for this profession.

For a long time, the notary's role has been defined by the stamp. You show up, verify, sign, leave. Sure, it’s valuable work, important work, but it’s a very narrow slice of what we're actually positioned to do.

Imagine a version of this industry where notaries are recognized as the fourth corner of that triangle of trust, where we're not just verifying signatures, but genuinely helping families prepare for the hardest days of their lives. One where we walk into a home carrying more value, and we walk out having changed something for that family. 

That's a different profession. 

That's a different level of respect, and a different level of income.

Jon Braddock, the CEO of My Life & Wishes, has a number written on the wall of his office: 

One million. 

For most people, that might mean one million dollars, but not for JOn, and his wife Michelle. 

They’re on a mission to protect one million families. 

And he'll be the first to tell you he doesn't get there with attorneys and financial advisors alone. 

He gets there with notaries who decide to step up and claim their seat.

They need you. 

The world needs you. 

That's the invitation. 

This isn’t about adding another task to your day, it’s about stepping into a bigger version of what this work can be.

You didn't become a notary just to push paper. 

You did it to help people, to build something of your own, and to be proud of the work. This is all three, in one place.

The seat at the table is open. It always has been. The only question is whether you'll take it.

Explore the Certified Legacy Vault Advisor Program 

And, while I specifically speak to notaries here, because that’s just what I do, there’s no rule or requirement that you be a notary to get certified and participate in the program. 

If you love helping people, and are passionate about legacy work, this is for you.