Tips for Talking About Your Estate Plan

When planning your estate, it is important to remember that communication with your loved ones and friends is vital to the success of your plan. A recent article discusses how best to can start an estate planning conversation.

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1. Schedule the conversation: By scheduling a time to speak about your estate plan with your family and loved ones, you avoid catching a person off guard or on short notice.  If you think your family members may be unsure about setting aside a specified time for the conversation, try to bring it up when you are doing something else, such as taking a walk together.
2. Tell a Story: It is often easier to start the conversation by sharing a recent news report or discussing the sudden death of a friend who did not have an estate plan.
3. Divide and Conquer: All families handle delicate issues differently. Consider that it may be best to discuss estate planning with family members individually. If this is the case with your families, have a series of talks, rather than attempting to do everything at once.
4. Make it a Subject of Mutual Concern: When attempting to discuss your estate plan with your spouse, for example, be sure to approach the conversation as a partnership. For example, you could start by saying, “Now that we are parents, we really need to draw up wills to protect each other and our children.”