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Most of us have spent the majority of our adult lives focusing on providing for our family’s current needs, setting up our children to be successful and independent adults, and hopefully setting ourselves up to eventually enjoy retirement. But, how often do we think about protecting and preserving our family after we have passed or become incapacitated beyond preserving our assets?
At this point in our lives, we have all likely experienced the death or incapacitation of a loved one or close friend. By itself it is a painful and emotional event, but this can be magnified by the confusion over the plans, assets and desires of an incapacitated or deceased loved one. You may have experienced this first hand or witnessed the distress the lack of information can place on individuals. This is why Estate Planning is so Important. But is should go beyond just having the legal documents in place, it should help guide your loved ones though the process.
No one likes to think about what will happen when they are gone or if they become incapacitated, much less discuss it with family members, but maybe you would be comfortable with putting it in writing to help your family during these traumatic events. This is the purpose of The Family Love Letter*. The Love Letter is designed to provide basic information to your family about your assets, liabilities and personal desires upon your death or incapacity.
Clover Leaf Wealth Strategies takes a holistic approach to our fiduciary responsibilities. As part of our Advanced Planning Services, we often work with referral partners such as Estate Planning Attorneys. This was how I was introduced to the Family Love Letter. The *Family Love Letter was created by John J. Scroggin and Co-authored by Donna Pagano, CFP. They have created a wonderful workbook to help walk you through the steps of creating this letter or resource for you family. You can read more about Family Love letter at About Us (familyloveletter.com)
While we feel the Family Love Letter* is an excellent source of information to help guide your loved ones in a difficult time it is not intended to provide legal, tax or financial advice. It is in addition to the documents/pieces you should have in place as part of your planning such as:
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- Will or Living Trust
- Personal Property List
- Living Will
- Medical Power of Attorney
- General Power of Attorney
- Up To Date and Proper Beneficiary Designations
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Not only is it important to have all these pieces in place, but to periodically review and update them, especially after major a life event such as a birth, death or divorce.
At the time of this post, we are planning a Family Love Letter* Workshop which will provide an introduction to the Family Love Letter and time to beginning completing steps in their beautifully organized workbook. We will also have Estate Planning Attorney, Sophia Munson on hand for questions as well.
**The content is developed from sources believed to be providing accurate information. The information in this material is not intended as tax or legal advice. It may not be used for the purpose of avoiding any federal tax penalties. Please consult legal or tax professionals for specific information regarding your individual situation.
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