August is Make a Will Month – a reminder to complete one of those tasks that is incredibly important, yet remarkably easy to put off.
We understand why.
Creating a Will requires us to think about things most of us would rather not spend much time thinking about: our own death, the possibility of incapacity, who will care for the people we love, and what life might look like for them when we are no longer here.
But at Schromen Law, we believe estate planning is about much more than preparing for death.
It is an act of care for the people who will have to keep living.
A Will Is More Than a Legal Document
From a legal perspective, a Will answers important questions. Who should receive your assets? Who should be responsible for administering your estate? If you have minor children, whom would you want to care for them?
Those decisions matter.
But there is also an emotional side to estate planning that doesn’t fit neatly into a legal document.
When someone dies, the people they love are grieving. They may be shocked, exhausted, overwhelmed, or struggling to make decisions while processing one of the most difficult experiences of their lives.
A thoughtful estate plan cannot eliminate grief. But it can eliminate some of the uncertainty surrounding it.
Instead of leaving your family wondering What would they have wanted?, you have given them answers.
Instead of asking loved ones to make difficult decisions in the middle of a crisis, you have made many of those decisions ahead of time.
Instead of leaving the people closest to you to piece together your wishes, you have taken the time to communicate them.
That is one of the greatest gifts estate planning can provide: clarity during a time when very little may feel clear.
Planning Is an Act of Love
People sometimes approach estate planning as another item on a financial or legal checklist.
We encourage our clients to think about it differently.
Estate planning is one of the ways we care for the people we love.
It is saying:
I have thought about what happens to you if something happens to me.
I don’t want you to carry the burden of guessing what I would have wanted.
I want to make an incredibly difficult time a little easier.
That is why estate planning isn’t only for people who are wealthy, elderly, sick, or facing an immediate crisis. If there are people, pets, causes, possessions, or values that matter to you, there are reasons to plan.
And while Make a Will Month is a wonderful reminder to start, a comprehensive estate plan often involves more than a Will. Depending on your circumstances, planning may also include a trust, financial power of attorney, health care directive, beneficiary designations, or other documents designed to protect you during your lifetime as well as the people you leave behind.
Encourage the People You Love to Plan, Too
Make a Will Month can also be an opportunity to start conversations with the people you care about.
Estate planning is sometimes treated as a private or uncomfortable subject. But avoiding conversations about death doesn’t prevent death – and avoiding conversations about planning can make an eventual illness, incapacity, or loss much more difficult.
Consider asking your parents whether their estate planning is current. Encourage an adult child who recently became a parent to create a plan. Talk with your spouse or partner about whether you both understand one another’s wishes.
These conversations don’t have to be morbid. They can simply begin with:
“I want to make sure we have things in place so that the people we love aren’t left figuring everything out during a crisis.”
Sometimes, giving someone we love permission to talk about these things is a gift in itself.
Already Have a Will? Make Sure It Still Reflects Your Life.
Estate planning isn’t something you complete once and never think about again.
Our lives change.
Relationships change. Families grow. Children become adults. People marry and divorce. Loved ones die. Assets change. Businesses grow. Priorities shift. And sometimes the person you trusted to make decisions ten years ago isn’t the person you would choose today.
Your estate plan should grow and change with you.
Make a Will Month is a good annual reminder to ask yourself:
- Do my documents still reflect what I want?
- Are the people I named to serve in important roles still the right people?
- Have there been changes in my family, relationships, finances, or property?
- Are my beneficiary designations consistent with my overall estate plan?
- Do the people who may need to step in someday know that I have a plan and where the appropriate information can be found?
- Has it been several years since an attorney reviewed my documents?
Even if nothing needs to change, there can be tremendous peace of mind in knowing that you looked—and that the plan you created still reflects the life you are living today.
Don’t Wait for a Crisis to Have the Conversation
One of the most difficult times to begin estate planning is when a family is already in crisis.
A diagnosis, accident, hospitalization, or sudden decline can transform decisions that once felt theoretical into urgent ones. And sometimes, by the time a family realizes certain documents are needed, the options available have become much more limited.
Planning ahead allows these conversations to happen differently.
You can make decisions thoughtfully rather than urgently. You can ask questions. You can talk with the people you love. You can consider not only what should happen, but why it matters to you.
Most importantly, you can get back to living your life knowing that you have taken care of something important.
That may be the real invitation behind Make a Will Month.
Not simply: Make a Will.
But rather: Take care of the people you love. Make your wishes known. Have the conversations that matter. And create a plan so that, when the difficult days eventually come, the people you leave behind have fewer questions to answer while they grieve.
If you don’t yet have an estate plan – or if it has been a while since you’ve reviewed yours—August is a wonderful time to begin.
The material contained herein is for informational purposes only, and is not intended to create or constitute an attorney-client relationship between Schromen Law, LLC and the reader. The views expressed in this article are not a statement of support or endorsement by Schromen Law, LLC. The information contained herein is not offered as legal or medical advice and should not be construed as legal or medical advice.