What Does a Good Estate Plan Look Like? | Part 7 of a 10 Part Series | Final Instructions to My Survivors
A good estate plan involves more than deciding how and to whom property will be transferred. Unless they know your final wishes your grief-stricken family and friends can be faced with stressful decisions. These are things that will happen to your remains after your death, as in burial or cremation, funeral and/or reception, or for some a quite departure without much fanfare.
When you pass away make life easier for your grief-stricken family and friends. Take the time to write your Final Instructions. Keep them with your Trust or Will. This way your loved ones won’t face the stress of making decisions about what you ‘may have wanted.’
If you’re having a service or other occasion for a eulogy, help ease the burden on your loved ones by recording personal information they can use to prepare. Collecting these details can be difficult for people in mourning. You can include schools you attended, work history, birthplace, hobbies, clubs, service organizations, accomplishments, stories, military service, personal philosophy, lessons learned in life, and so on. Often this kind of biographical information is displayed at service programs. It’s also used in newspaper obituaries. Also, what should happen with your social media accounts?
Understandably, it may be difficult to think about your last wishes. But when you have completed the task, you will feel better knowing your preferences will be known and your family and your passing will not cause the burden of making these decisions.
Kevin Walsh
Managing Attorney
