Protecting Yourself and Your Family With Estate Planning

For many of us, estate planning is something we know we should do but often manage to postpone until some indefinite time in the future. But putting off this part of your financial life could mean passing over an opportunity to preserve the lifestyle you’ve worked so hard to create and to dictate your legacy on your terms. 

Why You Need an Estate Plan

The primary purpose of estate planning is to ensure that you control how your assets are distributed. Estate planning is also about planning for unexpected events, such as physical and mental impairment, which may place financial strain on your family.

A well-crafted estate plan is likely to have multiple goals:

• To protect your lifestyle

 

• To provide for your family and others, including charitable organizations that are meaningful to you

 

• To control distribution of your assets

 

• To minimize estate taxes

 

Your Estate Planning Checklist

Depending on your goals, you may need to consider different tools, resources, and strategies to help you develop an estate plan that reflects your priorities. Here are some important documents and services you may need to help protect you and your family in the event of disability:

• A living will is a legal document containing your wishes regarding medical measures that might be taken to prolong your life in case of serious illness or injury.

 

• A durable power of attorney for health care, also known as a health care proxy, appoints someone you trust to make health care decisions on your behalf if you are unable to do so.

 

• A durable power of attorney for financial matters gives someone legal authority to make financial decisions if you are unable to do so.

 

• An inventory of important information includes information about your property, bank accounts, insurance policies, employee benefit plans, mortgages, and debts. It also includes your estate planning documents and beneficiary designation forms.

 

• Disability insurance can help replace a portion of lost income if illness or injury prevents you from working.

 

• Long-term care insurance can help to pay for the costs associated with disabilities caused by age and infirmity, such as nursing home care.

 

Other important documents and services help to protect your family and your legacy in the event of your death:

• Life insurance can provide financial benefits for your named beneficiaries if you pass away. Used strategically, life insurance can also help address other estate planning objectives, such as reducing the impact of estate taxes or charitable giving.

 

• A will is a state-specific legal document that sets forth your wishes regarding the distribution of your property and the care of any minor children.

 

• Trusts may be beneficial for a variety of life events and situations, including tax law changes, marriage, college saving, a child with a disability, serious illness, inheritance, and retirement planning.

 

The most difficult part of estate planning is getting started. Once you begin, you will find estate planning is a positive and constructive way to put yourself in control of your legacy.

Need help taking the first step? Working with a trusts and estate attorney can help you bring all the elements of your estate plan together to help ensure that you have an integrated strategy in place to protect yourself and your family.