I often sit down to meet with people who want me to do absolutely everything for them, and they are somewhat shocked that I do not tell them everything to do with their estate plan. Sometimes I have to explain that I cannot decide who should get their assets, as I do not know their family situation, nor do I know who they think deserves assets, or who does not. If someone cannot tell me who they want to get assets when they die, I will often suggest my children as potential recipients, as I know they could use the money! I quickly identify this as a bad idea, as I don’t really think that … [Read more...]
When I Had to Defend the Estate Plans I Wrote – The Rare Cases
In my last blog post, I talked about not going to court if you don’t have to go. With careful planning, estate planning can help you avoid going to court and court proceedings. Your estate plan can be carried out with a minimum of court supervision, or free from court supervision under most circumstances. However, sometimes things happen that are outside of normal circumstances, and an estate plan ends up in court, despite our best efforts to plan. I have heard the quote “Expect the best. Prepare for the worst.” attributed to Zig Ziglar. This saying certainly applies to estate … [Read more...]
Why Reading A Blog Post Is Not A Substitute For Working With an Estate Planning Attorney
In my blog posts, I describe some aspect of estate planning and give certain information related to that topic. However, I do not give out all of the information on a topic. Instead, I give information on an estate planning topic, which is helpful to answer general questions, or to help describe the basics. I generally emphasize the need to talk to an estate planning attorney in the blog posts. I have knowledge about how to create estate planning documents to reflect your wishes and the current law that I do not fully reveal in my blog posts. I need to be relevant and useful, so I can’t … [Read more...]
What You Need to Do Before Meeting With Your Estate Planning Attorney
It is no secret that I offer a free initial consultation to everyone who is looking to set up an estate plan. The offer is on my website, and I tell everyone who calls me that I offer a free initial consultation. What may not be so clear is what happens during that initial consultation. Sometimes I have someone who thinks the initial consultation is a time for them to ask any question they want about the law and have me answer it for them. Others think that they can present me with whatever situation they have, and want me to give them free legal advice on what course of action they … [Read more...]
The Danger of Unmet Expectations in Estate Planning
A couple of years ago, I heard someone talking about relationships. The speaker asked what the number one cause of divorce was. Answers like, “money,” or “lack of communication,” or “infidelity” all came up, but none was correct. Instead, the speaker replied that the number one cause of divorce was “unmet expectations.” The speaker went on to clarify why this was the case, and how unmet expectations are the root cause of most of the other problems brought up. I remember thinking how true the concept of unmet expectations was not only in marriages, but in life overall. Unmet … [Read more...]