Boring is defined as “so lacking in interest as to cause mental weariness.”
Well, hopefully this post is not really boring, but I wanted to make a point. I have a theory that most of the estate planning information being said or written by attorneys out there is BORING.
And by boring, I don’t mean it is wrong or not important. But I do mean that it doesn’t talk about the things that matter to you. Why is that? I think it’s because many attorneys have forgotten what their job is and what your job is. If it were the attorney’s job just to write down what you tell them (basically a scrivener), then you would need to understand all the technical aspects of tax law, probate, asset protection, etc.
The IRS Code – is that why you plan your estate, to learn tax law? When you go to a doctor because you are sick, do you want an anatomy lesson or a discussion of the latest medical journals? No, you just want to get well.
I have found that estate planning works best when I have a job to do and my clients have a job to do. What is the client’s job? To tell me about their family, their dreams, concerns, fears, how they want to live their life and how they want to be remembered. It’s my job to guide them through some options to clarify their goals. Once we decide the goals, it is my job to use legal and tax strategies to accomplish those goals.