Estate Planning is a Gift of Love to Your Family

By Libby Banks, The Law Office of Libby Banks, PLLC, Estate Planning

With the arrival of Valentine’s Day, our thoughts turn to love, and looking for ways to show our family and others dear to us how much we care with roses, chocolates, jewelry, or an item they’ve always wanted.

One way to show you care is to get a will or trust in place. This is a gift that will be there when you are no longer around. It can help ease the stress and grief by making the management of your estate smoother and avoiding uncertainty, or family fights.

Many of my clients come to put a plan in place after a stressful and difficult time handling the estate of a parent, sibling, or other loved one who didn’t plan ahead. Anyone who has gone through the process of a probate court proceeding or wrapping up a messy estate knows just how important an estate plan will be to the family when the time comes.

Without a cohesive and thoughtful estate plan, your family will not have any guidance on your wishes. They will spend much more time trying to wrap up your estate if you don’t have a plan. If you’ve left a real mess, your family may have to expend a large sum of money and time and effort to clean it up. Worse, your family may end up fighting.
A good plan can also avoid disputes among the beneficiaries. Time after time when I handled family estate fights, clients said they would never speak to their siblings or stepchildren or stepparent again. Others lamented that the messy estate issues were breaking the family apart. I value family highly and these cases broke my heart. I went into estate planning to help clients avoid these fights.

For those who love you, it’s a gift to be sure it’s easy to help you when you need it. A proper estate plan means that if you are incapacitated, your agent can manage your financial affairs. A healthcare power of attorney appoints the people you trust to make medical decisions if you cannot.

It’s not your typical Valentine’s Day present, but a proper estate plan shows your love. I’ve had many clients talk about what a gift their parents left them – not the money they inherited, but the plan that made it easier for them to administer the estate, with the certainty they were following their parents’ wishes.

Give your loved ones a meaningful gift by getting your estate plan in place. We give you the gift of a complimentary initial consultation or review of your existing plan. Call us at 602-375-6752 or visit my website at www.libbybanks.com.