2020 has been a wild, difficult, and unpredictable ride for us all.

Normally around this time of the year, we remind our friends and colleagues that it's National Estate Planning Awareness Week. It's our time to “gently nudge” anyone who doesn't have a Will, Trust, or estate plan to take action and get their affairs in order. Or, if they have an older plan, we remind them of the importance of updating their documents, so they will work properly if something happens.

But, along came 2020. Most of us have been thinking about our wishes for our family and our assets in the event of illness, incapacity, or death all year long. No special observance needed.

So, due to the circumstances, our message and “friendly nudge” this year for National Estate Planning Awareness Week looks a bit different. Here are our requests:

1. If you've spent this year thinking about your wishes, please make sure you put as much effort into creating documents that will ensure they are carried out, no matter what happens. We're here to help you check creating your Will, Trust, Power of Attorney, Healthcare Directive, and long-term care plan off the “to-do” list once and for all.
2. If you have minor kids (or grandkids), please make sure you have legal guardians named who could raise them if something unexpectedly happens to one or both parents. The pandemic, wildfires, hurricanes, and general unrest have demonstrated just fragile life can be. Your kids are dependent on you for EVERYTHING. Do what you can now to make sure they'd be cared for properly if you suddenly passed away.
3. Plan TODAY for long-term care. We've worked with a lot of people this year who want to be absolutely sure they have their “ducks in a row” so that they can access the highest quality in-home, assisted living, or nursing home care possible as they age. Unfortunately, the pandemic has highlighted some of the failures in our long-term care system, and people are rightfully demanding better options for their future. We can not only assist you in creating a plan, but we can also help you protect assets now so that you don't go broke in a nursing home later.
4. Do what you can to help your family avoid probate after your death. This is an expensive, long, and unnecessary court process that your family will likely have to go through to close out your estate—even if you have a Will! Any backlog to the system (as we've seen during the pandemic) makes the process 100 times worse. We can help you utilize legal tools like Living Trusts that will allow your family to bypass this process altogether when you're gone.

If you're stuck on any of these steps, we are here to help. To make getting started as easy as possible, we have convenient meeting times so that you and/or a loved one can meet with us for a complimentary planning session (valued at $295).

There's no catch and zero strings attached.

We simply want to help you begin the process of getting your affairs in order, and this is your opportunity to talk with an attorney completely free and without pressure to move forward with legal services. We can meet in person, via GoTo Meeting or have a phone conference, whatever you feel most comfortable with.

Just call the office at (260) 969-1177 or click here to schedule your appointment before the holidays take over your schedule.

Looking forward to meeting with you,

P.S. If you already have a Will or Trust, feel free to use this opportunity to have your documents reviewed and share this offer with your friends and family. We'll help you make sure that they've stayed up to date as your life and the law has changed over the years.