Estate Planning Made Enjoyable
What does preparing for the unexpected actually look like?
Sometimes the giant thought of “preparing your estate” is too overwhelming and all too easy to push off ‘til tomorrow. And while that’s okay for now, eventually “tomorrow” will be the day you really need it. It’s really important that we figure it out before that “tomorrow”. Have you heard the phrase “the only way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time”? So, let’s do this together. Let’s start “eating the elephant”. We won’t get to the fancy documents or the important authorizations yet. Let’s just start by thinking. And instead of imagining some horrid thing happening to you, how about we take a more positive approach?
Imagine that you were randomly gifted a one-month long vacation to an exotic Hawaiian island. No cell service. No internet. No access to your computer or your responsibilities of life. Take a minute. Enjoy the fantasy…
Okay, now back to reality. One week prior to leaving on this exotic vacation, you would need to make plans for that month that you would be gone. What bills would come due during that time? Who would pay them? Are there any responsibilities that you normally handle on a day-to-daybasis? If so, who would do those for you? Do you have a pet? Someone would have to watch them. Do you have kids? You get the gist. So instead of sitting down and thinking “what happens if I die or get in a coma… how about asking- what would it take to allow me to leave on a one month completely disconnected Hawaiian vacation?
The answer to those questions is how you begin crafting your estate plan. The first step is to simply identify all of the responsibilities you have as a living, breathing human being. It can be a lot when you really think about it and write it in one place! But here you are, like a superhero- managing it all. And we all know- no one can handle YOUR responsibilities better than you. We can acknowledge that. But we can also acknowledge that no one in their right mind is going to turn down a month long all expenses paid vacation to disconnect in paradise. So let’s return to that fantasy and plan it all out.
Make a list called “Things I need to arrange for my one-month trip to a remote Hawaiian island”. Keep it on your fridge or a convenient place through the week and as you think of more things (or as you do them!) write it down.
When do you pay your bills? When do they come due? Which accounts do you use? What sort of pet food does your dog like? Write out a letter (it can be imaginary) to someone giving them instructions for what to do while you are on this Hawaiian Island so that when you get back, everything in your life has not fallen apart. THAT is the most important start of your estate plan. Because the fact of the matter is, this crazy world keeps spinning even when we aren’t in it. And your life matters. So even though it might not be fun, this exercise in imagination and contemplation will result in the things this world needs you and you only for can keep going if you weren’t here. We love having you here. You are a gift! But everyone deserves a one-month expense free trip to a remote Hawaiian Island.
So get planning! And once you have that done, give me a call and we will create a formal plan to make sure when YOU get the chance to go to that island, everything is easy peasy and ready for you to board the plane!
