Whether you’ve watched the story unfold in the national media after a celebrity passes away with an unclear estate plan or no plan at all or whether you’ve witnessed a friend or family member go through the same process, there’s a good chance that you’ve seen drama unfold without the proper planning procedures.
There are many benefits to getting your estate planning done, to be sure. Peace of mind for you in knowing that things are already taken care of if something happens to you is a big one. Being organized and knowing you’re maximizing the most beneficial strategies for your unique needs is another one. These positive aspects are certainly in the back of your mind, but they may not be enough motivation for you to get to the estate planning attorney’s office to get things done.
Minimizing conflict may help you realize all the ways that a disorganized plan or no plan could end up hurting your family. If something did happen to you, there’s a whole world of emotions your loved ones are likely to be experiencing without any interfering factors.
Grief, figuring out how to move forward with the estate, and trying to identify how to move on are just a few of these. Sadly, the loss of a loved one can also ramp up family disagreements about your belongings. You might want to hope for the best and assume your family will get on the same page, but remember that emotions will be running high if you pass away. There’s no need to further complicate things by adding in a possible will contention or other argument among family members.
If you are concerned about how your loved ones will handle the news and your estate, share this issue with your New Jersey estate planning lawyer. It might be the first step towards outlining a plan that accomplishes all of your goals and makes things very clear for your family, too.