For most people (and retailers), Thanksgiving is the gateway to the holiday season. This means that many gatherings involving family and friends will take place between now and the New Year. As we have noted in prior posts, family gatherings are prime opportunities to discuss estate planning.
Like other things involving family, there are boundaries and protocols to these discussions. For those who are new to our blog, we will revisit some of our helpful tips to holding conversations about estate planning during the holiday season.
Start by discussing a current event – With a celebrity passing away nearly every week, current events are very common starting points for estate planning discussions. This is appropriate even if your loved one does not have the assets of a celebrity
Talk about values – As we just alluded to, estate planning is more than just about distributing property and money to loved ones. But you should not lose sight of the fact that these tend to result in family squabbles when a person passes away. As such, discussing how you can pass on your loved one’s values and legacies is a better way of understanding what is important.
Know a person’s limits –Conversations are important, but creating a plan is a process. Suffice it to say, a quality estate plan is not something that is quickly created. If a person doesn’t want to engage in such a conversation again at a family gathering, it would not be in good taste to press the issue.
If you have additional questions about estate planning discussions, an experienced attorney can advise you.