Cautionary Tales In Estate Planning

According to Consumer Reports and other surveys, people of color are less likely to have a Will for a variety of reasons. Persons polled cited reasons such as insufficient assets, too young or too old to have an estate, unwillingness to discuss death, lack of knowledge, too expensive and it is only for the rich. If you share the beliefs of those referenced above, I invite you to think about what would happen to you and your family if you had a medical emergency that rendered you incapable of managing your affairs. This book is inspired by real life events as portrayed by fictitious characters. It is my hope that the events cited herein will dispel the myths and inspire persons to learn the basics and to prepare an estate plan while they still have the capacity to do so. Here are the facts: Your estate simply refers to each item of tangible or intangible property you own. Whether it is a bank account, an automobile, a bicycle or a house, these combined items of property are referred to as your estate. No competent adult eighteen years of age or older is too young or too old to have an estate plan. An estate plan is simply a written document that describes your wishes for the rest of your life, and for what happens to your assets in your estate upon your death. Information about basic estate planning is easily obtained from any estate planning attorney. Please make time to learn the basics of estate planning, then take the steps necessary to protect yourself, your family, and your assets. You will be glad that you did.