145. How to Talk About Money & Death With Your Loved Ones (and Why Waiting or Avoiding it is a Big Mistake) with Amber Saunders (145)
Plenty with Kate Northrup
Kate Northrup
4.8 • 840 Ratings
🗓️ 10 February 2026
⏱️ 38 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
What would change for your family if the hardest conversations about money and death were already handled—clearly, lovingly, and without chaos?
In this episode of Plenty, I’m sitting down with estate and legacy planning lawyer Amber Saunders for a conversation most people avoid—and pay for later.
We talk about why avoiding conversations about death, money, and legacy doesn’t protect your family… it actually creates confusion, resentment, and heartbreak when it matters most. Amber shares a powerful personal story about how one simple decision her great-grandmother made ended up supporting three generations later—financially, emotionally, and practically—during a medical crisis no one could have predicted.
This isn’t an episode about documents and paperwork (though we cover what you actually need, at every stage of life). It’s about legacy. It’s about values. It’s about making decisions now so the people you love aren’t left guessing later.
In our conversation, we cover:
- Why waiting to talk about money and death almost always creates family conflict
- How to start estate conversations with parents or partners without it sounding like you’re after an inheritance
- The first non-negotiable steps every adult needs in place—even if you don’t think you have “enough” assets yet
- Why clarity around what you own (yes, even a simple list) can save your family years of stress
- How inheritances go wrong—and how to pass down wisdom and values, not just money
- Why no AI tool or fill-in-the-blank document can replace the human side of legacy planning
If you care about your family, your future, and what happens to what you’ve built—this is a conversation to listen to before there’s a crisis.
This episode is an invitation to lead with intention now, so the people you love can grieve, remember, and stay connected later.
XO,
Kate
“People think that if they talk about death, it’s going to make it happen sooner. But avoiding the conversation is what actually creates the mess.” — Amber Saunders
🎤 Let’s Dive into the Good Stuff on Plenty 🎤
00:00 – Introduction to Estate Planning
05:53 – Understanding Estate Planning Myths
10:50 – Consequences of Avoidance
12:06 – Preparing for Family Drama
15:18 – Emotional Attachments to Heirlooms
21:15 – Surprising Aspects of Estate Planning
28:04 – Educating Future Generations
30:39 – The Role of AI in Estate Planning
33:58 – Finding the Right Legal Support
36:22 – Conclusion and Call to Action
Links and Resources:
Connect with Amber Saunders:
Instagram
Facebook
LinkedIn
The Saunders Firm – Legal Practice
Amber Saunders – Personal Site
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This is your chance to transform your relationship with money from the inside out—grab it now! 💫
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | I think that people have to have the tough conversations, whether it's at Thanksgiving or the parent has to sit there and say, this is what I want. |
| 0:08.0 | Because whatever animosities or tensions there might have been growing up, it will show up when the person's gone. |
| 0:15.0 | Hello, today we have a really important conversation with you. It is with Amber Saunders, who is the |
| 0:22.7 | founder of the Saunders firm. She is a legacy and estate planning lawyer for business owners |
| 0:30.0 | and humans. And so many of us are afraid to talk about death. We're afraid to think about death. |
| 0:36.4 | And so we avoid the most important conversations with our loved talk about death. We're afraid to think about death. And so we avoid the most |
| 0:37.8 | important conversations with our loved ones about planning for and preparing to carry out their |
| 0:45.4 | wishes after they're gone. And in today's episode, we talk about the elements of estate planning |
| 0:53.4 | that need to be done the minute you graduate |
| 0:58.1 | from living in your parents' house. |
| 1:01.1 | You may not have these things in place yet. |
| 1:03.1 | The things we need to be doing once we have children and once we start to gather assets. |
| 1:07.2 | But what I love the most about this conversation is it is not actually about assets. And as you know, |
| 1:13.3 | my work about money goes so much deeper than money and Amber is totally on the same page. This is |
| 1:19.7 | about legacy. This is about what matters. This is about love. And this is about family and relationship. |
| 1:26.7 | And if you can get the things dialed in that we |
| 1:29.9 | talk about in this conversation, you are going to set yourself and your loved ones up for |
| 1:37.3 | generations of Plenty. Enjoy the episode with Amber Saunders. Welcome to Plenty. I'm your host, Kate Northrop, and together we are going on a journey |
| 1:49.3 | to help you have an incredible relationship with money, time, and energy, and to have |
| 1:57.0 | abundance on every possible level. Every week, we're going to dive in with experts and |
| 2:03.7 | insights to help you unlock a life of plenty. Let's go fill our cups. Please note that the |
| 2:12.0 | opinions and perspectives of the guests on the Plenty podcast are not necessarily reflective of |
... |
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