A: We can all come up with reasons to procrastinate and avoid doing what we should. Unfortunately, none of us has a crystal ball and we have no guarantee as to how many days we will have in this life. Procrastinating on creating an estate plan can have dire consequences and there are many reasons to avoid delaying the creation of a plan. Here are a few of those reasons:
- Reduce estate and income tax – Depending on the size of your estate, proper planning could cut your taxes by half or more.
2. Name guardians for your minor children – A properly done trust can define who you want as guardians for your children. Without this, the courts will have to select a guardian and they may not choose who you would have preferred.
3. Choose the circumstances of distributions – By holding assets in trust, you can protect assets from your beneficiaries’ creditors and potential future ex-spouses. You can also mete out assets over time so your beneficiaries get maximum use, while minimizing the possibility that they squander the assets.
4. Make provisions for heirs with special needs – A trust can make sure your assets work for a special needs beneficiary, rather than disqualifying them from receiving government assistance.
If you have loved ones, you have a reason to create an estate plan…regardless of your age and without delay!
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