Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Make your Estate Plan About Values

It’s easy to see, when creating an estate plan, how important it is to protect and pass on your assets, but a good estate planner knows that a will or a trust is not all about assets.  In fact, for all of the technical and financial language you may find in your will or trust, the most important part of the document is if—and how—it reflects your values.

You may think that values are something you’re more likely to discuss with your spiritual advisor than your estate planner, but we know you’ve worked hard to give your children and grandchildren a foundation of knowledge and belief to serve them when you’re not there.  We want to help you create a thoughtful and comprehensive Estate Plan can help you continue doing just that.

There are a few ways in which you can use your estate plan to pass on your values: 

• You can impress upon your grandchildren the importance of education by leaving an inheritance to them in an Educational trust.  
• Help your kids learn to follow their dreams by earmarking part of the trust principal to be distributed should they want to start their own business. 
• Pass on your belief in the value of family by creating a special trust to support stay-at-home parents. 
• Teach fiscal responsibility by choosing to have distributions made gradually, helping your beneficiaries learn how to handle their finances responsibly and with maturity. 

With the help of a caring and attentive attorney, you can leave a deeper legacy than mere money; you can impart your closely held values for generations to come.