Taking Care of Things When You Can (aka Estate Planning)

Did you know that October 16 - 22 is National Estate Planning Awareness Week?  

I didn't either. (The US House of Representatives, yes the same one that's leaderless as I write, passed a resolution for one 15 years ago.)

Estate planning is taking care of in the present things that could happen in the future. It's taking care of things when you can, not when you have to.

For example, a parent may have access to their own child's medical records only with a HIPAA authorization if that child is adult age (18+ in most states). No parent wants to be in an emergency situation involving their child and be helpless because there's no HIPAA authorization in place.

Estate planning helps avoid scenarios like this. It's a bit like getting gas before the meter tilts past "E."

Estate planning also includes designating someone to take care of your health care and financial matters if for some reason you're unable to. Again, something to take care of when you can.

If you haven't done estate planning, put it on your calendar to get started. Now. Really. If you're curious, here's a 10-minute video explaining estate planning in general. Here's one for unmarried couples.

If you have documents and it's been more than five years since you've looked at them, now's the time to brush the dust off them. Make an appointment with yourself to do that. Now.

In all cases, we can get you going and point you in the right direction.