{"id":791,"date":"2021-09-15T23:59:09","date_gmt":"2021-09-16T06:59:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/easeenet.com\/blog\/?page_id=791"},"modified":"2021-09-15T23:59:09","modified_gmt":"2021-09-16T06:59:09","slug":"the-reason-estate-planning-is-so-important","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/easeenet.com\/blog\/the-reason-estate-planning-is-so-important\/","title":{"rendered":"The reason estate planning is so important"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

I drafted our first Will when our daughter, now 23, was six weeks old. \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Photo by Peter Oslanec<\/a> on Unsplash<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

A new mother, I could not wrap my mind around not being there for our baby. \u00a0But as scary as that thought was, the fear of knowing there was no plan was in place, if the unthinkable were to happen, was even worse. I needed to replace worry with writing. \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For months, I spent every non-working, non-mothering hour researching how to legally address the ever-growing \u201cWhat if(s)\u201d playing hosts to my nightmares. The process of putting pen to paper, replacing scare with solution and panic with proactivity and peace was empowering. \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the past twenty-five years, now an estate planning attorney, I have made it my mission to turn planning into a positive.\u00a0 Drafting a Will is not\u00a0indicative\u00a0that something will happen.\u00a0 To bolster my point, I often share with my anxious new parent clients that I have been practicing for decades, assisting thousands of families, and only three (still too many) souls have passed. \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCongratulations. By adulting you\u2019re likely to live forever\u201d. \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCongratulations. By adulting you\u2019re likely to live forever\u201d.<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A nervous chuckle is usually received in reply. \u00a0Sadly, due to Covid, my statistics are no longer as reassuring. Why I am writing to you today is to relay what I am seeing all too often as part of my practice. \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The sandwich generation, women, like myself, 50-60 years old, \u00a0are no longer caring for infants with the aid of their parents. \u00a0Now we are worried mothers of newly minted adults while simultaneously acting as caregivers for aging parents, who either do not want to talk about their own planning or would rather pretend that the need is not there. Every day, that mother, wife, daughter struggles anew with her own fragility and mortality. \u00a0The Delta variant is striking carefree young adults at alarming rates. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, we are worried mothers of newly minted adults while simultaneously acting as caregivers for aging parents, who either do not want to talk about their own planning or would rather pretend that the need is not there<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

What happens if a child or spouse becomes sick and a physician refuses to speak with her? \u00a0Grandparents, previously dependable babysitters and rides to activities, now require lifts to their own appointments and assistance with daily activities. What if they suffer reduced capacity or even worse\u2026 pass away? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Photo by Manny Becerra<\/a> on Unsplash<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, that same woman is probably working\u00a0full-time\u00a0 trying to keep her marriage together, while desperately searching for those precious, and all too infrequent, pockets of time for her own self-care. Educational empowerment is key. Being unprepared for the unknown is the monster in the closet reawakening us with new host of \u201cwhat-if(s)\u201d at night. \u00a0We need to, once again, wash away that worry. \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Women, like myself, need the renewed sense of confidence and courage to believe, \u201cI’ve got this\u201d.\u00a0\u00a0 What legal documents are necessary if there is an incapacity or passing? Who should receive copies? \u00a0Where should the originals live until needed? What are some considerations that might impact the drafting? All too often, the worst happens when we, understandably, already feel challenged dealing with life’s routine. \u00a0To then be inundated with an avalanche of: emotional, financial, legal, and administrative tasks that require immediate attention seems unbearable. \u00a0Prevented from helping due to a lack of authority is unacceptable yet avoidable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Photo by Annie Spratt<\/a> on Unsplash<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

We can\u2019t prevent life\u2019s hiccups.\u00a0 But we can be prepared. Financial and legal education is important for all, and we need to make sure that every woman, mother and wife has access to it. \u00a0Find your legal guide-by-your-side. \u00a0You will not be sorry that you did.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Important steps to Estate Planning<\/h2>\n\n\n\n