Here are three tips for what you should think about before you meet with a Sacramento estate planning attorney area. If you follow these tips your meeting will go smoothly and you will feel good about the decision’s you are making. A lot of people take estate planning a little too lightly because they believe that they can always change it later on but then something happens and the tweaking to the plan is never done so it stands as is. Which leads to the first tip:
- Never make decisions about your estate while you are angry. If you have had a falling out with one of your kids, you may want to take a couple of deep breaths and either reschedule the appointment until you are over the argument or wait to make the hard decisions. A lot of people make the mistake of thinking that they will “punish” their child by waving documents around showing that they have been “left out” of the will but it is a bad idea to use your will as a pawn in your relationship.
- Cross all of your Tee’s and Dot all of your I’s- one of the best ways to stay out of probate is to leave explicit instructions, if you want to leave the Cat Shelter XYZ a monthly stipend of $200 put that in there. If you want the house sold and the proceeds divided put that in there plan for everything and leave nothing up to chance.
- As your children grow into adults you should update your estate planning. While they are under age you should name a guardian and a trust for their care. As they become adults you want to be sure that you change how the estate is handled and omit the guardians.
A trusted attorney can help you to make the right choices for your estate. Law Offices of Mitchel S Otswald can help you to navigate estate planning.
