Are you wondering how to show your family you love them during the month of February, and especially on Valentine’s Day? Everyday you say and do things that tell your family you love them, but are you thinking about their future and yours as well?  As you think of your future and your family’s future, there is a way you can show your family how much you love them.

How about making a strong statement of love and concern for your family with a Florida estate plan?  An experienced Florida estate planning attorney can guide you in creating an estate plan thoughtfully and thoroughly so that both you and your family will be protected. In addition, your family will not have to go through lengthy court procedures, challenges with creditors or be without an advocate when you are no longer here. We know it can be stressful to think about life after your death, but we also know that estate planning is critical to ensure that the sorrow your loved ones feel is not compounded by a crisis that could have been avoided.

So, this Valentine’s Day and during the whole month of February, we would like you to consider these five ways to say “I Love You” with estate planning:

1. Give your family’s future a solid foundation. By taking steps now your estate planning, when you pass away, will be able to limit the reach of creditors to your estate, maximize your assets and set guidelines to make sure your spouse is provided for and your children will have the support and opportunities, for example with their education, they need. 

2. Planning now will minimize any family conflict. By making decisions and selecting decision makers now you can definitely limit the chances of arguments. This will, instead, allow your loved ones time to focus on dealing with their grief instead of wasting time fighting over what your wishes might have been.

3. Estate planning gets rid of any uncertainty. Your estate planning will take the burden of responsibility off the shoulders of your family by making the tough choices now. It will be incredibly hard for your family members to make well-reasoned decisions during difficult emotional times

4. Remove stress from you and your family. Not only does your family benefit from your estate planning, you do as well. By making end of life decisions now you relieve your stress by alleviating the uncertainty that can come with end of life decision making. Most importantly, once your estate plan is in place you know that all of your end of life decisions are your own and not someone else’s.

5. Your family needs peace and with your estate planning you are telling them how much you love them. Knowing you have taken care of everything from health care decision making and finances to taxes and wealth transfer strategies, will mean everything to your family when the planning you have put in place needs to be implemented. Giving them peace of mind when it matters most is one of the best ways to show your family how much you love them.

Finally, we know that estate planning is not just for you, it is also for the ones you love most. If we can answer any questions for you on putting this estate planning in place, please do not hesitate to reach out to us.

Planning for the future is critical to ensure that your goals for the end of life are achieved. We know this article may raise more questions that it answers.  We do telephone, computer, and face-to-face appointments. Our face-to-face appointments are held outside in the open air (frequently selected by clients for document signing) and inside our office conference room. We follow all CDC guidelines. Our office procedures adhere to COVID-19 safety protocols and are designed and enhanced by medical review and air quality engineering.