Free steak dinners. Discount document packages. Estate planning is everywhere, and often marketed as quick, easy and inexpensive. But here’s the truth: Estate planning is not a one-size-fits-all set of documents – it’s a strategy built around your life, your family, and your assets.
Too many people are drawn in by low cost offers that promise a will or a trust in an online environment or a single meeting with perhaps a document preparer or a financial advisor. While these options may seem practical, they often miss the bigger picture. Estate planning isn’t about documents. Estate planning is about protecting your future.
An all-encompassing estate plan may include a last will & testament, a trust, powers of attorney for financial and medical decisions and additional directives tailored to your needs. Each piece plays a role to ensure your wishes are honored and your loved ones are protected.
The risk of “free” seminars and bargain services is simple: they focus on selling products such as life insurance, or subscriptions to their on-line legal services and not necessarily on what you and your family need: an estate plan created just for you! In addition, document preparers cannot legally provide the advice needed to create an estate plan customized to fit your unique situation.
Without proper planning, Families can face costly probate, delays, disputes, and uncertainty at the worst possible time. Working with a trained, experienced attorney changes that outcome. Instead of pre-packaged form documents, you receive guidance, careful listening, risk identification and a plan created specifically for you and your family.
In the end, estate planning isn’t about paperwork. Estate planning is about making sure your assets are protected, your decisions are documented and your legacy is carried out exactly as you intend. When it comes to your family’s future, “free” can be the most expensive choice of all.
