Issue 25 & 26
All of us at sometime in our lives have probably heard the phrase, “Set your house in order” or some similar principle. We may have heard the message as children when told to clean our room or as adults in the context of organizing our family or individual lives. This principle is estate planning. Estate planning is the process of organizing your affairs in such a way as to give what you have, to whom you want, when you want, in the way you want, at the lowest possible cost to you and those you love.
Having your affairs in order brings peace and comfort. In fact, doing your estate planning may even make vacations more enjoyable. If you have done or updated your estate planning, the next time you leave on a long awaited trip you will not spend the first hour or more contemplating the question, “What would happen to everyone and everything that is important to me if I did not return?” Estate planning is arguably the easiest thing to procrastinate in our lives because we have until the very end to keep procrastinating! Although easy to procrastinate, completing the estate planning process brings a sense of accomplishment and great peace of mind.
This is the first of a series of articles to be published every Wednesday. Future articles will discuss numerous issues related to estate planning. I am excited to share information regarding a topic important to all. I encourage you to cut and save those articles that interest you. If you already have estate planning documents, I recommend that you place the articles with your documents. If you do not already have estate planning documents, I believe the information in this and future articles can be a useful tool in helping you work with qualified professionals in order to do your estate planning. The knowledge that you acquire will be beneficial whatever your status is in the estate planning process.
Jeffery J. McKenna is a local attorney licensed in three states and serving clients in Utah, Nevada, and Arizona. He is a partner at the law firm of Barney, McKenna and Olmstead, with offices in St. George and Mesquite. He is a founding member of the Southern Utah Estate Planning Council. If you have questions or topics that you would like addressed in these Wednesday articles please email him at jmckenna@barney-mckenna.com or call 628-1711.