How to Involve Your Family in Estate Planning

How to Involve Your Family in Estate Planning

As you go through the process of planning your estate, it is advisable to get your family involved in the conversations. Not only can they provide you with support during what can be a stressful process, but it’s also helpful to prevent there being any surprises in the estate plan. If people know what to expect from your will, there are much less likely to be arguments about its contents after your death.

With this in mind, here are a few tips for involving your family in your estate planning processes.

  • Hold a family meeting: Have a family meeting specifically for the purpose of discussing the contents of your estate plan and your wishes. Make sure you do it at a time where you and your children can all be together. If you can’t physically be in the same room, consider video conferencing people in.
  • Prepare in advance: Write down everything you want to say and cover before you hold that meeting. This will help you to stay on topic and be as thorough as possible. You should also anticipate any questions people might have, and be prepared to answer them.
  • Stay on track: Make sure you remind your family members that the purpose of the meeting is not to give them an opportunity to share their opinions about your decisions, but simply to inform them of the key details of your plan. You should not allow your family members to sway your decisions in any particular direction—your estate plan should reflect your wishes only.
  • Don’t shy away from difficult topics: It can be very hard to think about and discuss your own mortality and your end-of-life care and decisions, but it is important to make clear what your wishes are so your family members know about them.

For more information about involving your family in estate planning and having these types of difficult conversations, contact an experienced Tampa estate planning attorney at BaumannKangas Estate Law.