(JUST) 4 Reasons You Should Tackle Your Estate Planning…
TODAY!
There are many reasons to tackle your estate planning, and these are just 4 of them.
NAMING A LEGAL GUARDIAN TO CARE FOR YOUR CHILDREN
Having an estate plan can do so much to protect your estate and loved ones. One of the most notable and important features of an estate plan is the ability to name the Legal Guardian of your children – the person YOU personally chose and trust to care for your kids in the event the unthinkable happens to your or your spouse. No one wants to think about dying or leaving their children unexpectedly, but these tragedies happen every single day – and if it does, it’s even more stress and needless pain for your children and loved ones to have to go to court to get a guardianship. Plus, you have no control over who petitions the court for custody, and it may very well end up being someone you would have never chosen to care for your kids. Having the chance to intentionally pick someone who shares your parenting style, family values, and knows how you want your children to be raised and loved is truly priceless. Making sure this is established BEFORE the unthinkable happens will save a lot of heartache (and costs) if something does happen – so why chance it?
REDUCE ESTATE TAXES (AMONG OTHER COURT AND ATTORNEY COSTS), TO ALLOW YOUR LOVED ONES TO KEEP MORE OF WHAT YOU WORKED HARD TO EARN.
An estate plan can also save your loved ones a lot of money, time, and stress when it comes to paying (sometimes avoidable) excessive taxes and settling your estate during probate, so that they can keep more of what you want to leave them instead of pointlessly handing it over to the government or paying it in attorney and court fees. Not to mention, probate is a complicated and long, exhausting process that no one really wants to deal with – trust us (we have a full service probate division and handle probate matters in every county of NC).
HELP PREVENT FAMILY ARGUMENTS & MESSY, EXPENSIVE LEGAL BATTLES BY SPELLING OUT EXACTLY WHAT YOU WANT TO HAPPEN WITH YOUR ASSETS AND BELONGINGS.
Even the most civil, loving family can be turned upside down by the death of a loved one – especially when there was no estate plan in place. We’ve seen families that had no previous issues break down and and ultimately never speak to each other again due to a disagreement about what should happen with certain assets or belongings of a loved one. By making an estate plan, you can avoid allowing any potential disagreements or hurt feelings from taking root, and splitting your family up, before they ever have a chance to start.
IF YOU DON’T MAKE AN ESTATE PLAN, YOU ARE LETTING THE LAW MAKE THESE IMPORTANT DECISIONS FOR YOU.
If you don’t make an estate plan before your death, you’re letting the law decide it for you! The law doesn’t know you, nor your family, or have any idea what you wanted, but will end up specifying what to do with your assets and belongings. You are giving up the ability to give specific loved ones specific items that may hold some sentimental value. You are giving up the ability to donate to your favorite charity. You are giving up the ability to perhaps help a specific loved one more than another, who may not need it as much. This can be heartbreaking. If you don’t make this plan, the law will make it for you and your assets and property and belongings will be legally divided and ownership transferred by a legal code, instead of by you.
Setting up an estate plan is so very easy these days, and you can do 98% of it online and without ever even leaving your house!
And, on that note, we do not recommend using a DIY or online/download form BECAUSE we’ve seen people accidentally disinherit loved ones or unintentionally cause more harm than good by causing some seriously detrimental legal issues than they actually solved by having a DIY estate plan. Practicing law is something you have to go to school and get a law degree to do (seriously – it’s a CRIME to practice law without a degree), so why would you expect to accomplish it with a 1-size-fits-all form you got online without ever even consulting with a professional? Do you work on your car when your transmission fails, or perform your own surgery when you have a health issue? Probably not… because you know you don’t have the skills to do it (at least not correctly)… and estate planning is the same. Leave it to the professional who went to school for many years, is trained, knowledgeable, and knows the ins-and-outs to protect your estate and most cherished loved ones! Not to mention, most estate planning attorneys go into it because they love to help people!
Don’t take our word for it… here are a few of our happy client reviews:
“My wife and I are very glad that we chose Walls Law Group to prepare our Family Estate needs. The initial phone call …was quick and easy to understand. Our conference call …was so informative that my wife and I were confident that this was the Law Group to work with. The fact that we lived out of town was not a problem. … [we were able to complete and sign our documents] within one week of our initial phone call. Our experience was great and the professional service provided by the Walls Law group was exceptional. My wife and I highly recommend the Walls Law Group and would not hesitate to use them in the future if needed.” -D. Wilkerson
“[…] was easy to talk to, knowledgeable in what I needed and explained it in ways I could understand!” – T. Barbour
“Great people.. did a WONDERFUL JOB for me…” – J. Beckwith
So, are you ready to tackle your estate planning?
Get in touch and we’ll help you get started!
It’s not as painful as you might think!
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