Estate Planning 101 – If you don’t have a will or all of your assets properly titled to pass by operation of law, then the assets of your estate will be distributed according to state law.  A more shocking fact is that if you have not named a guardian in your will, state law will also dictate who the guardian of your children becomes.  If you are in this boat, you are in good company.  According to a 2010 survey by Lawyers.com, 65% of Americans do not even have a Will.  This means that instead of providing for their heirs according to their wishes, and ensuring that their hard-earned assets are protected from creditors, they will be leaving it up to statutory regulations and the probate court to decide who gets what, including their children!  Click here for a good article listing some more estate planning pitfalls.

 Sadly, most of us spend more time in our lives planning vacations than we do planning for what happens after we die.  This is understandable. Vacations are much more fun, but we owe it to our loved ones to make sure they are provided for after we are gone.  Please contact our office if you would like to sit down with one of our estate planning professionals.  We would be happy to help you get an estate plan together and put your mind at ease.  It might even make the vacations more enjoyable!