Creating your estate plan is one of the most important things you can do as an adult. Some people think that they can just write it and then forget about it. They don’t realize that they may need to discuss the contents of the estate plan with their loved ones.
Talking about an estate plan isn’t always easy to do. This is especially true if there are challenging topics that have to be covered. One good thing about discussing your plans with your family is that they can ask questions about your wishes.
There are a few pointers that you should keep in mind when discussing your plan with family.
Be compassionate
Your loved ones might have trouble understanding what your estate plan says, especially if it isn’t what they thought it would be. Try to be compassionate if they have questions or want to know more about why you made the choices you did. If everything in your estate plan is how they thought it would be, then you may still need to be compassionate because it can be hard for them to accept that you’re not going to be around forever.
Discuss your end-of-life wishes
Many people don’t realize that your estate plan isn’t all about what happens after you pass away. Instead, you can include end-of-life plans in it. You may want to draft a health care directive outlining the medical care decisions you’ve made. You should also decide on power of attorney designations for finances and health care and let your loved ones know about those.
Your estate planning attorney can help you to get the estate plan documents together. This can give you peace of mind in knowing that your affairs are in order. Remember to review the plan periodically and alert your loved ones to any changes you make.