When I was growing up, my family had a “camp” on Rough River Lake in Kentucky. And by “camp”, I mean a trailer that was just the right size for my parents, me and my two sisters….most of the time! It was small and old and WONDERFUL! My best childhood memories are swimming and fishing in that lake. It never occurred to me that the adults had anything important to discuss….this was vacation for goodness sake!
I’ve since learned that when families get together on vacation or over the holidays, amidst all the fun and fellowship, there is often an opportunity to have meaningful conversations about legacy wishes or estate planning desires. With the blending of families that we see so much these days, it’s important to have open dialogs about wishes, plans and dreams for the future. These discussions may not always end in complete agreement (and often do not). But, families that speak freely about estate planning can sometimes address awkward situations that might arise in the future, like the choice of the executor — who is in charge of distributing assets after someone dies — or succession plans for a family business or the leaving of assets in trust.
No one looks forward to conversations about the end of their life and the lives of their families after they’re gone. But, this is one discussion that’s better had now than to wait until it’s too late. I can tell you from personal experience, there are always a few things that, once someone is gone, you wish you had one last chance to tell them. Don’t let those regrets extend to your estate. Have those conversations now. Or, if it would help, please feel free to schedule time for your family and me to get together and start that dialog. I’m happy to facilitate this important conversation and lend advice.
~Larry