Answered! When is the Right Time to Hire an Estate Planning Law Firm
It can be tempting to delay the estate planning process for as long as possible. After all, estate planning requires you to contemplate your own mortality, which is nobody’s idea of a good time. Additionally, it means gathering a number of legal documents and ensuring they work together to achieve your goals, all of which can seem either overwhelming or tedious.
The risk is that you delay the estate planning process until it’s too late. By enlisting the services of an estate planning law firm, you can have a coherent plan in place long before it’s actually needed. Not only can this provide peace of mind to you, but it may provide peace of mind for your family members, as well.
When to Hire an Estate Planning Attorney
So when exactly should you enlist the services of an estate planning attorney? Simply put, if you’ve never done any estate planning before, we would encourage you to hire an estate planning lawyer sooner rather than later.
There are a number of reasons why it’s urgent to hire an estate planning lawyer now, rather than putting it off. Just a few of those reasons include:
Nobody knows what tomorrow will bring.
We don’t mean to be overly philosophical, but the reality is that none of us have any guarantees about tomorrow. If the COVID-19 pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that life is very precious, and illness, accident, and injury can come on quite suddenly. At the risk of being morbid, there’s no way of knowing whether you’ll live another 50 years, or get hit by a bus tomorrow.
That’s what gives estate planning its urgency. We all want to make certain that our loved ones are taken care of when we die, and that our assets are distributed in accordance with our wishes. The problem is, none of us have any idea how long we have. Best to get our affairs in order ASAP.
Estate planning is about more than just managing assets.
You may feel like estate planning is unnecessary because you don’t have that many tangible assets to leave behind. Even so, it can be entirely worthwhile to make an appointment with an expert in estate planning law.
The reason for this is simple: Estate planning law isn’t just about assets. It’s also about clarifying your wishes for end-of-life care, including your values and preferences regarding things like resuscitation and life-sustaining care. Documents such as a living will, advance health care directive, or durable power of attorney can make your wishes as clear as can be. And again, you never know when something like an accident, injury, or illness will make these documents necessary. Schedule an appointment with a living wills lawyer sooner rather than later.
Estate planning isn’t as simple as you might think.
A lot of people assume that having a will is sufficient to cover their estate planning needs. Actually, estate planning law is a lot more complicated than that. If you only have a will, there’s a decent chance your assets will go to probate when you die, resulting in hassle and headache for your loved ones.
The solution? Again, make it a priority to meet with an estate planning attorney, who can guide you through some of the more advanced documents you need to facilitate a smooth asset transfer to your loved ones… whether that happens tomorrow, or decades into the future.
Don’t put off your estate planning needs. If you live in Fremont, CA, schedule a consultation with Singh Law Firm today.
