The Hidden Benefit of Estate Planning

Even the Young and Athletic Profit from the Hidden Benefit of Estate Planning

At 39, my friend Chris felt vibrant and healthy. He’d recently completed his first Ironman triathlon, as well as a number of other athletic events. When his financial advisor told him he needed to get his estate plan in order, although he was young and healthy, he listened. He had a friend who had passed away suddenly. He left a truly awful situation for his wife and children. They were forced to move out of their family home, costing his family the business he’d worked hard to build. 

Chris wasn’t going to risk allowing this same kind of tragedy for his own wife and two children, so he called a local estate planning attorney. Within a little more than a month, he put everything in place to protect his family no matter what happened to him.

While he knew that it would feel good to check estate planning off his list, Chris experienced something unexpected. As he went about his day-to-day life, he noticed that he didn’t have that nagging thought in his mind anymore, the “what if” he had carried ever since his friend died. The heaviness disappeared. Instead he had a sense of ease and freedom that he’d hadn’t even realized was missing. 

As he puts it, “getting my affairs in order was liberating … it allows me to play a different game in life. I don’t know why I didn’t do it sooner, I just wish I hadn’t waited this long.”

People think that getting an estate plan in place is about having a Will or a Trust, about passing your assets to your loved ones, about checking a box, about preparing to die.

Virtually every single time a new client finishes the initial meeting with one of our attorneys, they remark on how good they feel, how glad they are to finally know that their family is protected. They literally heave a big sigh of relief, free to live life in a way they didn’t even realize they were missing out on. This is the hidden benefit of estate planning.

Why have you been putting off getting your plan in place, or maybe getting it updated? How will it feel to get rid of that nagging feeling, that “what if something happens?” worry that follows you everywhere?

When you’re ready, we’re here to help.

Here’s your new plan to get your estate plan in order:

1. Attend a workshop/webinar. 
2. Schedule your personal consultation with one of our attorneys.
3. Get your plan.