Welcome to our inaugural blog post on Estate Law and Practice. This blog is for you if you are:

• A professional accountant
• A financial planner
• An insurance agent
• A professional who deals with wills and trusts
• A person interested in the important decisions surrounding aging, both financial and personal

We get it. No one likes to talk about death and dying when they are alive and healthy. No one likes to talk about what the consequences of their death might be. However, because we care about the people we advise and their clients and loved ones, we think it is important to prompt this reality check.

It is a fact. Life ends at some point. We rarely know when.

It is important to walk clients through what happens to their affairs on death and to encourage prudent planning. Helping clients plan now means that they are less likely to worry later. A crisis or emergency is not the time to start talking about your plans. Unfortunately, many people wait until it is too late to start talking. Others never talk at all.

This lack of direction is often what leads to the chaos of estate litigation. Poor direction can lead to power of attorney disputes, capacity issues and will interpretation problems. End of life planning with a lawyer is all about taking charge of the future by providing specific directions for your affairs. This includes both your finances and your own health care. In life, you can protect your loved ones and direct them about your own health care decisions.

We work together with your financial planner or life insurance agent to help realize your wishes.

In this blog, we will discuss several issues that face people as they age. In each post, we will discuss techniques to deal with these issues.

After we plan together, the rest is up to you!

Lindsey Park
The Estate Law Group at McBride Bond Christian LLP