Isn’t it Time You Took the Time for Proper Estate Planning?

Do you remember the first time you got a babysitter for your children? If it was like mine, my wife went through extreme measures to write down very detailed instructions for the babysitter on how to care for the children; what time to put them to bed, be sure to give them warm milk, make sure my daughter has her stuffed animal, etc.

When the babysitter finally arrived, there was extensive conversations and reiterations of what was written in the note. We wanted to ensure the babysitter knew how to contact us, where we would be and all the specific nuances of each of the children. As that continued, I began to pry my wife away and remind her we had dinner reservations a mere few miles away. We left the house and got in the car. It was a quiet ride to the restaurant. Upon arriving at the restaurant what was the first thing to do? Of course, call home and see how they were.

The evening rolled on and after one (or two) additional calls, we were convinced the kids were alive and well. Upon returning home and paying the babysitter, it occurred to me how much energy and time we had spent to plan to protect our children for the few hours we were going to be out to dinner. How much time have we spent to make sure we put instructions together to protect our family if we became disabled, or left them forever? Proper estate planning is a set of instructions for your children to ensure you are able to pass them your assets, your values and your way of life after you’re gone. Isn’t it time you took the time?

David J. Zumpano