
Where Do You Score on Estate Planning Checklist?
Every so often, it’s smart to methodically go through your estate planning documents and see if any tweaks are needed. Here’s a checklist to guide you through that mission.
Every so often, it’s smart to methodically go through your estate planning documents and see if any tweaks are needed. Here’s a checklist to guide you through that mission.
Ensuring that your wishes on your medical care are followed, is up to you. Take action now while you’re well, or you could later lose a say in the matter during a crucial time.
Ensuring that your wishes on your medical care are followed is up to you. Take action now while you’re well, or you could lose a say in the matter during a crucial time later.
While most initial meetings with an estate planning attorney will result in some questions you likely have never considered, there are many ways in which you can prepare for a thoughtful and productive estate planning conference that will result in a better understanding of your goals and more efficient use of time with your attorney.
Obviously, the first step is to work with your doctor to slow the progression. However, there are legal steps you need to take as quickly as possible.
Do you expect your parents to leave you a financial legacy? Nearly half of working-age Americans assume that they will receive an inheritance that will support them later in life, according to a survey by financial services company HSBC. Perhaps the bigger question, though, is how to even approach this topic with your parents.
During the past four months, more than 141,000 Americans have died of COVID-19. Anecdotal evidence suggests that the pandemic has prompted some people to get serious about creating or updating their estate plans, according to Christine Benz, Morningstar’s director of personal finance.
With some cases of COVID-19, patients are dying in isolation. The sorrowful stories are a grim but important reminder: if you haven’t formalized your final wishes, you likely would not have the opportunity to do so from your hospital bed.
No one likes to think about the end of their life, but it’s an important topic that many people put off until it’s too late.
If you are quarantined or under a lockdown and can’t get to a notary, how can you get your will, trust and other documents executed? Don’t give up. There are ways to get it done without leaving home.