There are many conversations in life that are uncomfortable to have with yourself and with others. Unfortunately, these discussions are often the most vital. If you are 55 or older it is not too early to start thinking about planning for the possibility of illness, injury or mental deficiencies and how they may impact your life, your spouse’s life, and the lives of your family. What would happen with your finances and your health decisions if you were in a car accident and in a coma for a month? What would happen if you have an accident that causes permanent short-term memory loss? Would you be able to pay bills? Monitor your investments and bank accounts? You may have planned for your death, but have you planned for your pre-death, which is your life and longevity? It is never too early to start thinking about longevity planning. Beginning a dialogue is an important first step, even if it is only with yourself or your spouse.
When you are ready to expand the conversation and learn about your options, an attorney who can help you with both Estate and Longevity Planning is vital. Don’t just plan for your death or assume that you will have an estate to pass on if you are ever in need of costly long term care. At some point, you may not be able to make your own decisions, health related or financial. A Longevity Planning Attorney can help you create tools so that you can provide guidance and control over your well-being and property while you are alive, even if you are unable to provide input directly, either temporarily or permanently. A Longevity Planning attorney can help you create tools that will not only enable you to control how, when, and to whom your estate is distributed to upon your death, but to help protect your estate during your lifetime from the exorbitant costs of long term care so that you have an estate to pass on when you are gone.
Don’t leave these important decisions to a judge in a courtroom who is a stranger to you and your family. I am happy to have a complimentary consultation with you for educational purposes. Even if you do nothing, you will at least know some of the options you are choosing to leave on the table for now, and what may be available to you in the future.
If you are ready to have a difficult but important conversation, contact me at [email protected] or call me at 815-459-8800, ext. 651 to set up a consultation. You can also contact my assistant Carolyn at [email protected] or ext. 646. If you are a child of an aging parent, I am happy to talk to you as well.