As scary as it may sound to consult with an estate planning attorney, this is nothing to worry about. Despite the fact that you will undoubtedly begin to think about your own death, once you are on the same page as your legal team you will feel much better about what the future holds.
Those who create an estate plan without professional assistance often times make mistakes that come back to harm them and/or their loved ones. Is this a risk you want to take?
These are the types of mistakes you can avoid with the help of an estate planning attorney:
1. Missing important documents. No two people are faced with the exact same estate planning process. For this reason, no two people will require an identical level of service.
There are many estate planning services provided by this type of attorney. Here is what you need to do: explain your situation and goals, giving the attorney enough background information to understand what you want to accomplish.
From there, your attorney can help you decide which documents you need to create, such as a will, as well as which ones you can pass on for the time being.
2. Too much gray area. The last thing you want is for your estate plan to have gray area. In other words, this means that something doesn’t quite make sense. Everything should be laid out clearly, in a 100 percent legal manner. This will give you peace of mind now, while also giving you confidence that your wishes will be carried out after your death.
3. Ignoring estate planning documents that are important while you are alive. Many people think estate planning is based on nothing more than what will happen to their property upon their death. This is not true.
A living will, for example, is defined as follows by the Mayo Clinic:
“Living wills and other advance directives are written, legal instructions regarding your preferences for medical care if you are unable to make decisions for yourself. Advance directives guide choices for doctors and caregivers if you’re terminally ill, seriously injured, in a coma, in the late stages of dementia or near the end of life.”
As you can see, a living will is a necessity in the event that you become incapacitated and unable to make your own decisions.
When you have an estate planning attorney by your side, you never have to worry about making these mistakes, among others. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us for professional assistance.
- The Questions of Estate Planning, Part 6: Why - January 6, 2020
- The Questions of Estate Planning, Part 5: How - January 2, 2020
- The Questions of Estate Planning, Part 4: Where - December 30, 2019
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