Growing old can seem cruel and unkind. When the time comes that your decisions are no longer yours but are given away to your children or someone you may or may not trust, it can feel like you’ve lost control.
Not only can you share your wishes, but estate planning provides legal documentation of those decisions. It creates a roadmap for your loved ones and becomes a unified communication tool for your estate.
Estate Planning: The Key to Control
Estate planning is a great way to stay in control when you can’t make decisions for yourself. Having the end-of-life talk with loved ones brings things into focus so they feel more real, which can create a lot of emotions, both good and bad.
But it’s important to have this discussion and make a plan before it’s actually needed. If you choose to wait, emotion is higher, and the best decisions aren’t usually made when we’re overcome by our feelings.
An estate plan is an excellent way to make decisions in advance of actual need. Estate planning allows you to work through the tough questions with your loved ones and also provides an opportunity to run through different scenarios. This way, family and/or friends can hear your wishes for each circumstance.
You won’t be able to plan for every eventuality, but your loved ones will come to understand your wishes and how your decision-making works via the process.
Planning Can Bring You and Your Loved Ones Closer
Estate planning is also a great way to reminisce and tell your story. You’ve worked hard for what you have—share the stories of your successes and failures. A planned time of sharing and decision-making can draw a family closer while keeping you in control of foreseeable situations that require a decision.
Give your loved ones peace of mind. They want to hear your wishes ahead of time, to know what you would want in all stages of your life. As much as you think they can make these decisions themselves, it’s likely emotions will run high. It’s difficult to make these decisions for ourselves, let alone for someone we love and care about in a possible crisis situation. Be sure they know exactly what you want.
Stay in control by creating a plan. Edwards Group is here to help. Our process walks you through the important issues that may arise in your estate planning. We create wills, powers of attorney, and living trusts, plus we can help you with crisis planning for your care and assets when unexpected situations arise.
Schedule an initial meeting by clicking this link or calling 217-726-9200. Attending a workshop or online webinar are also a great way to get started creating an effective estate plan today.