Reducing Stress During the Estate Planning Process

As an estate lawyer knows, there are many people who see state planning as an unpleasant and stressful task. There are many reasons that estate planning is looked upon with distaste, including the fact that it can be time-consuming and difficult. This article will consider some of those reasons, and look at ways to reduce the stress of estate planning.

Common Reasons for Stress During Estate Planning

Thinking about estate planning inevitably requires thinking about the death of the estate planner — your death. Naturally, this is far from a pleasant thought.

Many clients feel they’re too young to plan for their demise and for their estate. Other clients feel that their finances don’t require an estate plan, or that their finances will change, rendering any estate plan obsolete.

Other clients fear offending relatives, by leaving them out, or favoring some relatives over others. Still, some view the whole thing as simply too complicated and overwhelming and are unsure how to prepare the necessary documents.

How to Reduce Stress During Estate Planning

A certain amount of stress in the estate planning process is probably unavoidable, but you can minimize both by looking inside and looking outward to find competent advice.

Marcus Aurelius, in his Meditations, once wrote, “Do not act as if you were going to live ten thousand years. Death hangs over you. While you live, while it is in your power, be good.“

That’s a very sound piece of advice for anyone, but especially true for those about to embark upon estate planning. A steady focus on the maxim can assist in planning. Making certain that your affairs are always in order, left exactly as you would wish them to be in the event you couldn’t return, isn’t only a sensible act, but a good act.

It’ll relieve your family, and friends, of the burden of dealing with avoidable complications in the event of your passing. You don’t need to be morbid, or stoic like Marcus Aurelius, to take a few hours to plan, at any age, for your eventual estate.

You can also keep your estate plan up to date. It’s almost certain that your finances will change at many points in your life. Assets will be added, as you acquire new ones, and some will be removed, as you sell some of your assets.

There are many other investments that’ll appear over time. A good estate plan isn’t a one-time event, but a process, reviewed occasionally to ensure it’s current.

You can also involve your friends and relatives in discussing your plans. A candid discussion about your intent, your preferences, and your determination to settle your affairs in a certain way can ensure that no one is “left out” or upset by surprise at your decisions.

A bit of talking now can eliminate a great deal of stressful discussion and argument among your relatives later. It’ll also demonstrate that you do care about your relationships. That alone ought to be a great reassurance, not only to them but to you.

An Estate Planning Attorney Can Make Things Easy

You can manage the complications of Utah estate planning by selecting a capable estate planning attorney.

A good attorney knows the documents required for an estate and can draft them efficiently and promptly — in accordance with your wishes. An estate attorney is versed in the law and can explain the available alternatives, including wills and trusts, and the interrelationship between the two.

By relieving you of the technical concerns, you can focus on making certain that your needs and wishes are explored and carried out fully, and with discretion and sensitivity. A good estate planning lawyer will relieve you of much of the concern and stress you might feel throughout the process of planning your estate.

The Weber Law Group specializes in business and estate planning law. If you are seeking an estate planning lawyer, we can assist you.

We’ve helped many clients plan estates and are familiar with both the legal requirements and the stresses felt by the client. If you want the services of a skilled Utah estate attorney to meet your needs, contact us today for a consultation.