Do you ever wake up in the morning and you can vividly remember the details of a crazy dream you just woke up from? Then you get out of bed, start your day, drive to work, and make a few phone calls. By the time you get to work and want to tell your best friend about your dream, you realize you can't remember what the dream was even about.
The dream obviously had some meaning to you, but without it being written down, it just slipped through your fingers and *poof* no longer exists.
“You may not be able to record your dreams and watch them later, but you can record your wishes and your loved ones can watch them fall into place when you are gone.”
People always say that they are 'thinking' about the perfect estate plan. They have it written in their head but it's not quit ready to be written down on paper. They feel that once they have come up with the perfect plan, they will write it down. Until then, ehh, it can wait for a rainy day.
Don't delay- start today. You may have forgotten what you want to happen.
What should an estate plan consist of in South Florida?
Last Will & Testament: State your final wishes regarding who will receive or who will not receive from your estate, name guardians for your minor children, state directions regarding organ donation and burial.
Revocable Trust (Living Trust): In depth document that will state your final wishes. You are able to place stipulations and retain control of your assets during your lifetime.
Durable Power of Attorney: Name someone to manage your financial affairs either immediately or in the future should you become unable to do so yourself.
Healthcare Surrogate: Name someone to act on your behalf if you become unable to make medical decisions for yourself.
Living Will: Document that will state how and if you want to prolong your life if you fall into a vegetative state
REMEMBER: Your estate plan will never be perfect. Stop using the excuse that you will start planning once you know exactly how you want it written. There are so many moving parts in your life, that your estate plan will be consistently changing.
However, if nothing is written down, your wishes will not be known to your loved ones.
You may not be able to record your dreams and watch them later, but you can record your wishes and your loved ones can watch them fall into place when you are gone.
If you live in Miami-Dade, Broward, or Palm Beach counties it is time to start discussing with loved ones their estate planning needs. You can’t predict the future, but you can plan for it.
Contact an experienced estate-planning attorney at The Hershey Law Firm, in Plantation, Florida, at (954) 303-9468 to discuss your estate planning needs.