Commit to Your Estate Plan Before Committing to a Trip Away
There are many things you need to prepare before going away on vacation, such as structuring your itinerary, getting plane tickets or train reservations, and booking hotels. Another big ticket item to add to that list is creating an estate plan. If something were to happen to you while away on vacation, whether an illness, injury, or even death, your family would be stuck with a huge mess to clean up unless you take steps now to cover such scenarios.
The Barber family of Southern California is an unfortunate example. Mom, dad and three kids went on a road trip to Arizona where they were in a terrible accident. Mom and dad died, and their three boys were injured, but alive.
During the several days it took the authorities to locate any relatives, the boys were in protective custody with strangers. During such a traumatic time, strangers were not exactly the best people to comfort the boys.
The family member that was located first was a sister of the mom and she promptly took the boys back to her home and didn’t let any other family members see the boys. It took many hundreds of thousands of dollars and at least 7 lawyers to sort out the family fighting that ensued over both the boys and the assets left behind by the Barber parents.
As you can see, having a plan in place would have helped the Barber family out in a major way.
Making the commitment now to create a comprehensive estate plan will ensure your loved ones will not be stuck in court or conflict if the unexpected happens while you are on vacation.
At least 8 weeks before you leave, schedule a Family Wealth Planning Session with us. During that Session, we’ll get you more financially organized than you’ve ever been before (ensuring none of your assets are lost if you are injured on your vacation) and guide you to make informed, empowered and educated choices for yourself and the people you love most. If you are leaving sooner than 8 weeks from now, call our office and let us know you need a rush Family Wealth Planning Session and we will see what we can do to get you started.
This article is a service of Levi Alexander, Personal Family Lawyer®. We don’t just draft documents; we ensure you make informed and empowered decisions about life and death, for yourself and the people you love. That’s why we offer a Family Wealth Planning Session, ™ during which you will get more financially organized than you’ve ever been before and make all the best choices for the people you love. You can begin by calling our office today to schedule a Family Wealth Planning Session and mention this article to find out how to get this $750 session at no charge.
Photo by Asad Photo Maldives: https://www.pexels.com/photo/man-and-woman-walks-on-dock-1268855/
