No one really likes to think about what will happen when they finally pass away. However, a little bit of planning and preparation can help your family out immensely. One of the ways to make that inevitable day easier on your loved ones is to set up an estate plan. But, estate planning may seem daunting and bring up a lot of questions. What is estate planning exactly? What if I don’t have anything to give to my family? How is my family supposed to know what my final wishes and arrangements are? How will minors in my family be treated? What will happen to my prized collection of Kansas City Chiefs memorabilia? The questions can seem endless.
Asking the Questions No One Wants to Ask:
All these questions are great questions when it comes to your estate plan though! If you truly think about it, taking the time to do this small amount of preparation can really go a long way for your family. “Procrastination kills” and thus it is a lot easier to make these decisions now, in writing, in order to avoid having your family guess at your final wishes later. When you take the time to prepare everything for them, you can make what is already a very sad and tragic event for your family and make it a lot easier for them in the long run.
Who should oversee the distribution of my estate? Who needs to be able to get mental and physical health updates while I am in the hospital or at a doctor’s appointment? Who needs to make the decisions for my health if I cannot make them for myself? Who should make the financial decisions in my life if I am no longer able to? How will my family know if I wish to be cremated or buried? How can I make sure my family withholds or does not withhold nutrition and fluids if there is no chance of me getting any better?
How Can We Help?
As you can tell, there are many questions to consider when it comes to creating an estate plan. Thankfully, thinking about these questions ahead of time and taking the time to prepare is the first step. An estate plan can mean something different to everyone but there are some basics that it can boil down to. First and foremost, there is the Last Will and Testament. This document will sort out the distribution of the estate and who is in charge of that task. There are additional documents our firm can prepare which really depend on your personal situation and requests. A quick meeting with one of our attorneys can help you prepare your estate plan and turn it into a reality. Having an attorney help you through this planning process is a great way to make sure there are no loose ends. Most importantly, an estate plan will help your family avoid the lengthy and costly process of litigating your estate through probate court if you do not have an estate plan in place.
Some of the other documents that we can prepare for you include a beneficiary deed, trust(s), healthcare power of attorney, financial power of attorney, HIPAA waivers, final disposition instructions, and more. Simply taking the time to set up a free consultation with our attorneys can put you on the path to making your family’s lives a lot easier down the line. Through a free consultation with one of WM Law’s attorneys we can run down a very basic list of questions to see how complicated, or easy, your estate will be. Taking the little time to prepare can go a long way and it does not have to be a difficult process at all, if you estate plan. Creating an estate plan gives you and your family a sense of relief, because, while no one wants to think of the day they pass away, no one really wants their grieving family to stress over their property either. We have offices located across the Kansas City metropolitan area. For more information or a free, no-obligation consultation with one of our attorneys, check out: www.kansascityestateplanner.com or give us a call at (913) 422-0909. At WM Law, we are Here to Help with real plans for real people.
