It may seem like something out of “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” but the holidays are the most wonderful time of the year to discuss estate planning. There will never be a time where you’ll want to plan for the unexpected, but if something does happen to you, your family will appreciate that you had taken these steps. What better time to start planning than when the entire family is together? This may be the only time during the year that the whole family is in the same room, so take advantage of it.

Below are a few steps you can take in your estate planning:

Get Organized Ahead of Time
Make sure to get all of your paperwork organized. Collect all your important legal and financial documents and keep them in a waterproof and fireproof file cabinet or safe. Include a list of all the important people in your life and their contact information. Tell trustworthy family members where your important documents are.

Be Clear With Your Wishes
When you are sitting with your family you can make your wishes very clear if something were to happen to you. That way, the state can’t take over and leave your family to deal with the court and all the uncertainty that comes with it. Meet with an estate planning attorney such as The Glassman Legal Group to make sure that your needs are properly expressed. If you have children, include who you’d like to give custody to, including backup guardians. It’s also a good idea to write a letter or create a video to memorialize your legacy and leave your family an invaluable gift.

Get Nostalgic
While you’re together with your family, take the time to tell some stories from your life. Let the younger generation into parts of your past. Give them the chance to have a greater appreciation for the life you have lived so far and how you’d like to be remembered.

Plan for 2020
While taking the time to reflect, you can also take time to plan for the future. Dream of your goals for 2020 and discuss them with your family. Let them know your short and long term goals and what your wishes are if something ever happened to you. If that time ever came, then your family would know what you would want. There is also less room for miscommunication if you can have these discussions in-person.

Follow the four steps above and you will be on your way to having a successful plan for your estate if the unexpected were to happen to you. At Glassman Legal Group, we help people get paperwork in order and take the proper steps to solidify a well-defined estate plan. Contact us at 945-915-8800 or scroll down and send us a message at the bottom of the website to get started.