Investopedia asks you to consider these four reasons why you should have an estate plan to avoid potentially devastating results for your heirs in its article “4 Reasons Estate Planning Is So Important.”
Wealth Won’t Go to Unintended Beneficiaries. Estate planning may have been once considered something only rich people needed, but that’s changed. Everyone now needs to plan for when something happens to a family’s breadwinner(s). The primary part of estate planning is naming heirs for your assets. Without an estate plan, the courts will decide who will receive your property.
Protection for Families with Young Children. If you are the parent of small children, you need to have a trust and will to ensure that your children are taken care of. You can designate their guardians, if both parents die before the children turn 18. Without a will and guardianship clause, a judge will decide this important issue. You will also want to create a living revocable trust to include instructions as to who the trustees will be to make financial decisions for your children when they are young without court supervision or reporting.
Avoid Taxes. Estate planning is also about protecting your loved ones from the IRS. Estate planning is transferring assets to your family, with an attempt to create the smallest tax burden for them as possible. A little estate planning can reduce much or even all of their federal and state estate taxes or state inheritance taxes. There are also ways to reduce the income tax that beneficiaries might have to pay. However, without an estate plan, the amount your heirs will owe the government could be substantial.
No Family Fighting (or Very Little). One sibling may believe she deserves more than another. This type of fighting is unfortunate. However, an estate plan enables you to choose who controls your finances and assets, if you become mentally incapacitated or after you die. It also will go a long way towards settling any family conflict and ensuring that your assets are handled in the way you wanted. As part of our ongoing client care program at Family Estate Planning Law Group, we hold a Family Care MeetingTM that works to create and maintain harmony with a family about the choices of parents in their estate plan, and also provides a place for children to ask questions and parents to thoroughly explain their wishes (limiting any disagreement following the death of parents).
An estate plan protects yourself, your family and your assets. The idea of the court monitoring your assets or a court-appointed person making decisions about your property and your children should be enough to motivate you to meet with an estate planning attorney.
Another bonus of working with Family Estate Planning Law Group, in addition to the Family Care MeetingTM, is our ongoing client care program. This program is designed to ensure that your assets are aligned with your estate plan over the years because we align, verify and continually track all of our client’s assets.
To learn more about our ongoing client care program and other estate planning topics, explore our blog and schedule your consultation today!
Reference: Investopedia (May 25, 2018) “4 Reasons Estate Planning Is So Important”
