Advice To People Who Don’t Have a Will – by an Attorney
If you have anyone in your life – parent, spouse, child or even the dog – that you are responsible for, then you must follow these steps to protect them. If you don’t you are letting the world know – and to your loved ones – I DON’T LOVE YOU!
My family wasn’t prepared…
Folks, if the previous sentences sound a little harsh, then you need to keep reading. My name is Andrew and I am a practicing lawyer in California. Shortly after I began practicing law my wife’s grandmother and I had multiple conversations about what estate planning was, and what she needed to do. I was primarily a litigation lawyer, so all I could do was give her general advice and encourage her to see an attorney to get a will done.
Not too much later, Grandma was stricken with breast-cancer. Breast-cancer couldn’t kill her, but the chemo sapped her strength and we lost her quite suddenly. Grandma had been the matron of her family and she had been the one to manage her finances. Grandpa just had no way of knowing what to do – he had suffered a stroke years earlier and had always relied on her to handle their affairs. I was out on in Connecticut when my wife, who was attending the funeral, called me to say that the family wanted Grandpa to have a will “just in case”.
Now their estate was fairly simple, Grandma and Grandpa were plain folks, and I am the only lawyer in the family. But I had no idea where to start! I was able to quickly draft a very, very simple will, get it faxed out to California and give instructions for having it executed. Thankfully, Grandpa was with us for a few more years, and we were able to have another estate planning lawyer take care of the remainder of the estate before Grandpa died.
However, my thoughts kept going back to why hadn’t Grandma and Grandpa done any kind of estate planning? It would have saved everyone a ton of heartache at a very trying time of life. I remembered our conversations – Grandma was worried that she might hurt the feelings of someone in her (very large) extended family, and besides “everyone would just know what to do…” Also, she was troubled with the thought of deciding for a care-giver for Grandpa if she died first. She knew it would be hard on anyone to care for Grandpa. He was a big, strong man, and stubborn, before his stroke. All of that big, ole cantankerous man now resided in a body that was stiff and he had trouble controlling. The simple things we take for granted, he now needed assistance with. Who could she ask to care for him?
There is an easier way to plan, and I have figured it out!
I resolved then and there to figure out how to help people make these decisions so that other families would be spared the questions. I drew on numerous sources – books, the Bible, experts and conversations with people who have completed estate plans – and distilled all of this into a system which can help everyone create a plan they can be satisfied with. The TOP THIRTY was the method that was birthed out of my desire to get people to plan. It is a process that helps “funnel” you in the right direction, coaches, urges and motivates you from now until your estate plan is complete and provides follow up afterward.
Maybe you are wondering about the name “TOP THIRTY”? That comes from the fact that only about 30% of all families have any estate planning of any kind. Being a planner and following through puts you in the top thirty percent of all families in America. Isn’t that a great feeling?
What a wonderful way to love your family!
Now you can painlessly do one of the most caring things for your parents, spouse, children and anyone else you love and care for.
Some people may still think that they either don’t need to, or could not handle the process. Here are the main reasons people have for putting off estate planning:
• If I draft a will I am going to die.
• I don’t want to think about who will have my kids when I die.
• I don’t want to force someone to take care of my parents/spouse/kids.
• Someone will step up and do the right thing if I die.
• It costs so much.
• It is so complicated – I don’t know what to do.
All of these EXCUSES (and an excuse is simply a reason wrapped in a lie) boil down to this: you are afraid! If you were not afraid, you would have done something by now. You know you ought to, but you are still paralyzed.
Information and action kill fear.
If you had answers and knew what to do, would you? For many people just simply knowing what the steps are will kill all the fear and allow them to complete what is normally a difficult task. When I enrolled in college the first time, I had no idea what I was doing. So, I went down, took tests and then…. DID NOTHING! I was afraid…. The next time, though, I went in and signed right up for classes. After having a “dry run” the first time, actually enrolling was simple. I had the knowledge and the fear disappeared.
The same is true for action – action kills fear. Have you ever had a difficult phone call to make? You can put it off all you want, and it won’t get rid of the fear. But, make the call, and the fear will be gone.
THERE ARE A MILLION AND ONE BENEFITS FROM PLANNING
Your loved ones, your pets, your friends, your family…. How do you want them to be occupied when you die? Tied up in court – fighting one another (yes, it happens all the time), confused, scared? Wouldn’t it be better to allow them to reflect on your life in peace, and know that your affairs are being handled in an orderly manner? Estate planning is for the living, but you will have peace of mind and security knowing that they will be properly taken care of.
So, what are your next steps?
Ok, maybe you do love them…. What can you do right now to start on the path to family security? First, download my audio recording of a basic estate planning seminar. This audio recording comes with a workbook and normally sells for $79.95. In it you will learn:
• How many people have an estate plan
• Who is really making the plans for your family when you die
• The multiple pieces of the estate planning armor every family needs
• And much more…
The workbook is a companion to our workshops which helps walk you through the TOP THIRTY method and prepares you for the often difficult process of making an estate plan.
The cost of these is normally $79.95 but I am giving it to you absolutely free if you live in California. These are available by an instant download, by completing the form below.
Why would I give this away free? Well, for two main reasons. The first is that I seriously want everyone to benefit from planning before it is needed. An estate plan is no good if it never gets made. I think that giving you some free information will help give you some tools and “nudge” you toward action.
Second, I believe that when you get a flavor for the way we work, you will make one of two decisions: either you will NEVER work with us, or you will consider us as an option for your estate plan. Either one is fine. You see, we receive so many inquiries that we got tired of “tire kickers.” By giving you a glimpse of who we are and how we work, we avoid some of the people who waste our time and we get to work with those who are really serious about getting their planning done.
If you prefer to jump right in and attend one of our workshops, you can fill in the following form and you will be placed on the list for one of our next available workshops. The workshop is a three hour planning session where we walk you through the TOP THIRTY method of planning and help you identify the top planning needs of your family. By the end of the seminar, you will have a the “rough draft” of your estate plan completed. If you respond to this offer NOW you will receive a 25% discount and you and your spouse can attend for $149.
That’s it. It really is that simple, and now free, to begin planning. So, here is to you and your family. Peace and long life to you,
Andrew