Anthony sighed with relief. He felt a great peace of mind the day he finally signed his estate planning documents. His Will showed how his property should be distributed in an orderly and organized fashion. The durable power of attorney he signed meant that someone would stand up for him if he was no longer after to handle his medical or financial affairs. He had even signed a Living Will telling everyone to keep the doctors from artificially prolonging his life. Then he started to wonder about his children: Anthony, Jr.; Talia, Lorraine, and Chad. They’re all adults, but Anthony wondered if they needed his help with their estate planning.
We’ve talked before in this blog about talking to your family about estate planning. But that discussion was about your estate plans. It’s time for a new discussion.
Now, it’s time to talk to your family about their estate plans.
But, how? Death and incapacity are touchy subjects.
Tell Them About Your Experience
Maybe you have always wanted to take care of your legal matters but kept putting it off. Then, one day, you took a big step and called an attorney to talk about making a Will. Your attorney explained how necessary estate planning is and helped you come up with a plan that meets your needs. Better yet, you now know how much the estate plan will help your loved ones adapt after you’re no longer there to help them. Finish off by telling them what a great sense of relief and peace of mind you have now.
Tell Them What You’ve Learned About Estate Planning
Especially tell them what happens when you don’t have any plans in place.
- Probate without a Will is more difficult and expensive.
- Precious time is lost trying to settle an estate without an instruction book (your estate plan).
- Your family may pay more taxes than necessary because you didn’t plan.
- Your family may receive less of your estate than you intended because of attorney’s fees and court costs.
- Medical providers will need someone to make medical decisions, but who?
Lay Out the Arguments for Estate Planning
If they have kids, start there. Your children need to understand what happens when a good Will is not in place.
Most estate plans include a durable power of attorney to address incapacity issues. Not signing one makes a serious situation so much more stressful.
Do you really want your family to struggle making end-of-life decisions for you because you didn’t leave a Living Will? Or worse, do you want a court to do so?
Estate planning is your voice, after you can no longer communicate. It’s a way of showing extreme love for your family, both now and later.
And you don’t have to be old or wealthy to have an estate plan. Everyone needs one!
Set a Good Example
There are many reasons to put together an estate plan. Here’s another one: You’ll be setting a good example for your children, no matter how old they are.
Help Your Kids Help Themselves
We are assuming that you have already done your estate planning. If you haven’t, this is the time.
Schedule a consultation with one of our attorneys. They have the experience and skills to listen to your concerns and put together a complete estate plan. Our phone number is 256-251-2137, or you may want to use the Contact Form on our website. We have office in in Anniston and Birmingham and assist clients in communities like Hoover, Vestavia Hills, Irondale, Gadsden, Pell City, Leeds, Trussville and Calera.