Back from our great time at VAELA 2019, we have a renewed energy about our practice and most importantly, helping YOU, our clients!
Tidying Up Your Estate Plan
“Does your possession spark joy?”
According to “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up” book author and guru, Marie Kondo, the very personal stuff in our homes is the hardest to lose but unless if it “sparks joy in your heart”, you should get rid of it so it can delight someone else. Her approach is to encourage everyone to one by one hold everything you own in your hands, deciding if those items spark joy. Kondo recommends that you thank the item for service and put it in a trash pile. Second, once you have identified the items that bring you joy, you should place them in a visible and accessible place. Then and only then, will people, who adhere to this method, experience the magic of tidying up.
How does this concept relate to you planning your estate?
Planning an estate is a hard and uncomfortable process. It asks you to contemplate your mortality. At the end of the process you have not thrown anything out, but you have begun a process to transfer one of your possessions (home, money, etc.) to someone else. When you apply Kondo’s tidying up approach to estate planning you will learn:
Does your estate plan documents spark joy?
Probably not, but that does not mean you need to or should get rid of them! Although, just like your possessions, they should be reexamined from time to time. The failure to update them can have serious consequences on how your assets will be distributed in the event of your death, decisions regarding your medical care and treatment, and your finances in the event of mental or physical incapacitation.
At the end of the process, you will have a comprehensive set of directives or estate planning documents that will guide those around you in case of death or incapacitation. These are your last will and testament, a living will, financial power of attorney, a living trust, and beneficiary designations.
These methods will enable you to declutter and organize your estate and bring joy to your loved ones with clear instructions on all of your directives.
Come see us for your estate planning needs! We will help you through the process and tidy up!
Valerie and Cary
March 2019