Estate Planning Lawyer
As you probably know by now, it’s important to have a proper estate plan. It can state your final wishes and ensure your assets go to the right people after you die. However, discussing the subject with your adult children may be difficult at first. You may feel uneasy about your own mortality or fear that it will start conflict in the family. However, if you approach the subject the right way, you are more likely to get a positive reaction.
Here are some tips for talking to your adult children about your estate plan.
Write Down What You Want to Discuss
Talking about estate planning can be long and complex. You may even forget certain points you wanted to talk about. That is why it is a good idea to write down your main talking points in a notebook beforehand. This will help you organize the discussion and avoid becoming too overwhelmed.
Choose the Right Time and Place
When you want to discuss something as important as estate planning, you should select the appropriate time and place. It is not a subject you just want to spring on someone. Tell your kids ahead of time that you would like to have a discussion with them soon. Try not to pick a time when people are more likely to feel anxious, such as right after work. If your estate plan is particularly complicated, it may be a good idea to have your estate planning lawyer join your conversation.
Explain Your Decisions
During your estate planning meeting with your adult children, talk about your decisions and how you made them. Your children are less likely to feel offended or hurt if they know the reasons behind your decisions. For instance, if you plan to give one child a bigger inheritance because he or she isn’t as financially stable as your other children, let your children know during the conversation.
Encourage Questions
Estate planning is an important and complex subject, so your children will likely have plenty of questions. Once you are done making your points, tell your children that you welcome all of their questions. If they come up with more questions at a later date, encourage them to call you.
If you need assistance with your estate plan, contact an estate planning lawyer, like one from Carpenter & Lewis PLLC.