How Much Should We Tell the Children About Our Estate Plan?

Estate Planning, Health Care, Inheritance, Living Will, Power of Attorney / Advance Directive, Estate Planning Attorney, Healthcare Power of Attorney, Heirs, Inheritance, Living Will, Power of Attorney, St. Petersburg Estate Planning Attorney

Congratulations, if you have finished your estate plan. You and your estate planning attorney created a plan that is suited for your family, you have checked on beneficiary designations, signed all of the necessary documents and named an executor to carry out your directions when you pass away. However, have you talked about your estate plan with your adult children? That is the issue explored in the recent article entitled “What to tell your adult kids when planning your estate” from CNBC. It can be a tricky one.

There are certain parts of estate plans that should be shared with adult children, even if money is not among them. Family conflict is common, whether the estate is worth $50,000 or $50 million. So, even if your estate plan is perfect, it might hold a number of surprises for your children, if you don’t speak with them about your plan while you are living.

Even the best estate plan can bequeath resentment and family conflicts, if family members don’t have a head’s up about what you’ve planned and why.

If you die without a will, there can be even more problems for the family. With no will—called dying “intestate”—it is up to the courts in your state to decide who inherits what. This is a public process, so your life’s work is on display for all to see. If your heirs have a history of arguing (especially over who deserves what), dying without a will can make a bad family situation worse.

Not everything about an estate plan has to do with distribution of possessions. Much of an estate plan is concerned with protecting you, while you are alive.

For starters, your estate planning attorney can help you with a Power of Attorney. You’ll name a person who will handle your finances, if you become unable to do so because of illness or injury. A Healthcare Power of Attorney is used to empower a trusted person to act as a surrogate and make medical decisions for you, if you are incapacitated. Some estate planning attorneys recommend having a Living Will, also called an Advance Healthcare Directive, to convey end-of-life wishes, if you don’t want to be kept alive through artificial means.

These documents do not require you to name a family member. A friend or colleague you trust and know to be responsible can carry out your wishes and can be named to any of these positions.

All of these matters should be discussed with your children. Even if you don’t want them to know about the assets in your estate, they should be told who will be responsible for making decisions on your finances and health care.

Consider if you want your children to learn about your finances during your lifetime, when you are able to discuss your choices with them, or if they will learn about them after you have passed, possibly from a stranger or from reading court documents.

Many of these decisions depend upon your family’s dynamics. Do your children work well together, or are there deep-seated hostilities that will lead to endless battles? You know your own children best, so this is a decision only you can make.

It is also important to take into consideration that an unexpected large inheritance can create emotional turbulence for many people. If heirs have never handled any sizable finances before, or if they have a marriage on shaky ground, an unexpected inheritance could create very real problems—and a divorce could put their inheritance at risk.

Talk with your children, if at all possible. Erring on the side of over-communicating might be a better mistake than leaving them in the dark.

Reference: CNBC (Nov. 11, 2020) “What to tell your adult kids when planning your estate”

Preparing for Coronavirus: The #1 Legal Document Every Adult Needs to Have

Estate Planning, Health Care, Living Will, Power of Attorney / Advanced Health Directive, Advanced Medical Directive, Healthcare Agent, Healthcare Power of Attorney, healthcare surrogate, St. Petersburg Estate Planning

As the coronavirus continues to disrupt daily life and leave Americans uncertain of the future, you don’t have to feel helpless during this pandemic. In fact, now is a great time to be proactive and plan ahead should you or a loved one fall ill. One of the most important and relatively easy things you can do (and should do) is to select a healthcare surrogate and set up your advance healthcare directive.

What Is a Healthcare Surrogate?

A healthcare surrogate (also called a healthcare agent, medical agent, a healthcare proxy, or a medical proxy) is a person you authorize in a medical power of attorney to make decisions about your medical care if you are too ill to make them yourself or are otherwise unable to communicate your wishes with your healthcare providers.

Why is it important to choose a healthcare surrogate now?

As of April 7, there are 391,665 total cases of coronavirus. Of those, only 9,169 are in critical condition (about 2.34%). So even if you get sick, you’ll most likely have mild symptoms and recover quickly. However, since no one knows exactly how they will be affected by the virus, it’s best to plan for the worst and hope for the best. Part of that planning is making sure someone can make healthcare decisions for you if you fall ill and are unable to make those decisions for yourself.

Factors to Consider in Choosing Your Healthcare Surrogate

A healthcare surrogate is an important role, and the person you choose will have the power to make critical healthcare decisions—like consenting to a treatment plan, whether to accept or refuse medical treatment, and which healthcare providers or hospitals to use for your care. As a result, it is crucial to think carefully about who you choose to fill this role. Many people simply assume that their spouse or their oldest child should take on this role, but they are not always the best suited. Here are some factors to consider when selecting an agent:

Emotional maturity. People handle stress differently, and not everyone is able to set aside their emotions and make level-headed decisions when someone they love is suffering. In addition, some people are simply not assertive enough to act as a strong advocate in the face of differing opinions of other family members–or even health care providers–who suggest a treatment plan you have informed your medical agent you do not want. You should choose someone who is able to think rationally in emotionally difficult circumstances, even if that means you must look outside of your family to find the best person for the job.

Is willing/able to serve. Acting as a healthcare surrogate can be a time-consuming and emotionally draining job. Make sure that the person you choose is willing and able to set aside the time necessary to serve as your patient advocate. Don’t just assume the person you want to be your medical agent is willing: Be proactive and ask if he or she is willing to take on that role. Keep in mind that if you are elderly, you may want to avoid naming a friend or family member who also is older, as there is a greater chance that they will experience mental or physical decline at the same time as you, which could impede their ability to serve as your advocate when the time comes.

Will honor your wishes no matter what. Your healthcare surrogate has a duty to make decisions on your behalf that you would have made to the extent that he or she is aware of your wishes. This is the case even if your healthcare surrogate disagrees with your choices. As a result, your healthcare surrogate should be someone who is willing to set aside his or her own opinions and wishes to carry out yours. It may be prudent to appoint someone who has values and religious beliefs that are similar to yours to reduce the instances in which your surrogate’s opinions differ significantly from yours. Do not choose anyone that you do not trust to carry out your wishes.

People You Should Not Choose

Many states have laws prohibiting certain people from acting as your healthcare surrogate, even if they are otherwise well-qualified to act in that role:

Minors. Many states have laws expressly prohibiting a minor from being a patient advocate. The age of majority could be 18, 19, or 21 years of age, depending upon the state. Some states have exceptions to this prohibition for married or emancipated minors.

Your health care providers. Some states not only prohibit your health care providers from acting as your healthcare surrogate, but also preclude the owner, operator, or any employee of any facility in which you are a patient or resident from acting in that role. Some states that have adopted this prohibition make an exception for individuals who are related to you. A few states, such as Kansas, Missouri, and Kentucky, also have an exception if that person is an active member of the same religious organization as you.

Need help?

Medical directives may be among the most important legal documents you prepare – especially in light of COVID-19. Picking a healthcare surrogate can be tricky and we can help you think through your choice. We can also help with any other estate planning needs you may have—whether that’s setting up a financial power of attorney, last will and testament, or a trust. Please give us a call today to discuss how we can help you and your family be prepared should you fall ill from the coronavirus.

Everyone Should Have a Healthcare Power of Attorney

Estate Planning, Health Care, Power of Attorney / Estate Planning, Healthcare Power of Attorney, Incapacity, POA, Power of Attorney, St. Petersburg Estate Planning Attorney

Before snowbirds begin their seasonal journey to warmer climates, it’s time to be sure that they have the important legal documents in place, advises LimaOhio.com in a recent article “Different seasons and documents, same peace of mind.” One of the most important documents that everyone should have is a healthcare power of attorney, and it should be prepared and be ready to be used at any time.

Having a healthcare power of attorney makes sense — A healthcare power of attorney is an often overlooked, but essential part of any good estate plan.

These documents name another person to make healthcare decisions, in case you are not able to make those decisions for yourself. We never think that anything will really happen to us, until it does. Having this document properly prepared and easily accessible helps our loved ones. They are the ones who will need the powers given by the document. Without it, they cannot act in a timely manner.

If traveling between a home state and a winter home, it is wise to have a set of documents that align with the laws of both states. It may be necessary to have a separate set of documents for each state, if the laws differ.

Healthcare powers of attorney typically need updating about every five years. The law has changed in recent years in Florida, and there are some specific powers that need to be stated precisely, so that the document can be used if needed.

If a healthcare power of attorney is not in place when it’s needed, the only way that someone else can make decisions for you, is to become your guardian. Guardianship takes considerably more time and costs more than preparing the document ahead of time. It should also be noted that once guardianship is established, the person who is the guardian will need to report to the court on a regular basis.

Another document that needs to be in place is a living will or advance directive. This is a document prepared to instruct others as to your wishes for end-of-life care. The document is created when a person is mentally competent and expresses their wishes for what they want to happen, if they are being kept alive by artificial means. For loved ones, this document is a blessing, as it lets them know very clearly what their family members wishes are.

Peace of mind is a wonderful thing to take with you as you prepare for a warm winter in a different climate. Talk with an estate planning attorney to be sure that your estate planning documents will be acceptable in your winter home.

Reference: LimaOhio.com (Oct. 26, 2019) “Different seasons and documents, same peace of mind”

How Do I Create a Medical Power of Attorney?

Estate Planning, Health Care, Living Will, Power of Attorney / Durable Power of Attorney for Healthcare, Estate Planning Lawyer, Healthcare Directive, Healthcare Power of Attorney, Living Will, Medical Power of Attorney, St. Petersburg Estate Planning

A medical power of attorney is a legal document (also called a healthcare power of attorney or durable power of attorney for healthcare) that names an agent to make medical decisions on your behalf, explains Yahoo Finance’s recent article, “How to Set Up Medical Power of Attorney.” A medical power of attorney gives a family member or a trusted friend (a “healthcare agent”) the legal authority to make health decisions for you.

How do I create a medical power of attorney — The medical power of attorney is one of several documents that should be part of your estate plan.

This isn’t the same as a living will, which is a document that details what you’d like your healthcare team to do, if you become incapacitated. You may have a living will and a medical power of attorney. If decisions must be made about resuscitation and life support, recording those wishes in a living will, removes those difficult decisions from your agent.

When you’re thinking about a person to be your healthcare agent, find someone with whom you’re comfortable discussing health-related issues. Select a person you trust with your life and who will assume this responsibility if and when the time comes. Your agent must be your advocate, execute your wishes and make wise decisions, even when friends and family are telling them otherwise.

Here are some general guidelines for healthcare agents that you should avoid. Don’t choose:

Your healthcare provider or the person who owns a health or residential facility in which you’re residing;
A person whose job it is to medically evaluate you, such as a physician;
A person who works for a government agency that is financially responsible for your care unless she’s a blood relative;
The same person as your court-approved guardian or conservator; or
A person who’s already a healthcare agent for more than 10 other people.

It’s important to also name a backup agent, in the event that your primary healthcare agent can’t make decisions on your behalf.

The medical power of attorney is one of several documents that should be part of your estate plan. Meet with an estate planning attorney to make sure that you have the correctly prepared documents you need to protect yourself and your family.

Reference: Yahoo Finance (May 8, 2019) “How to Set Up Medical Power of Attorney”

Estate Planning Checklist

Estate Planning, Power of Attorney, Probate, Trust / Assets, Estate Plan, Healthcare Power of Attorney, Incapacity, Legal Advice, Power of Attorney, St. Petersburg, Trusts, Wills

A will is just one of a handful of documents every adult should have in place to protect themselves while they are living, and their heirs and families after they have passed away. Here are the “5 estate planning must-haves,” according to an article from the Augusta Free Press:

Wills and Trusts. Your will directs the distribution of your assets. Without a will, the court will determine who gets your possessions, real property and any other assets, following the laws of your state. Depending on your situation, you and your heirs may benefit from setting up trusts to protect your assets from the probate process, maintain your privacy and possibly avoid some taxes. Keep in mind that if the will or trust is not created properly or doesn’t follow your state’s laws, it could be challenged or deemed invalid. Work with an experienced estate planning attorney to protect your family.
Many of your accounts—bank accounts, investment accounts, retirement accounts, insurance policies—may already have a named beneficiary, who will inherit the account upon your death. However, if you have not updated those names recently, you may find the wrong person inheriting your assets. Once that occurs, there is no legal means of transferring the assets to another person. Always make sure you have a contingent (or secondary) beneficiary named, so if the primary beneficiary dies before you, or for some reason declines to accept the asset, you will have had an opportunity to choose another person to receive the asset. If there is no contingent beneficiary, the court will make that decision.
Letter of Intent. It must be said that this is not a legally binding document. However, the information it could provide to your loved ones might be very helpful, as they move through the process of settling your estate. It can explain why you structured your asset distribution the way you did, why you would want a given family heirloom passed to a specific family member, or what you would like to have happen at your funeral. If you are not able to discuss these matters in a face-to-face conversation with your loved ones, this is a useful alternative.
Power of Attorney. Planning for incapacity is an important part of estate planning. If you become incapacitated, you’ll need to have already given someone the power to manage your financial affairs. If you do not have a power of attorney, your family will need to turn to the court system, which will create delays and added stress. You’ll also want to have a healthcare power of attorney in place. Most people assume their spouses will immediately take on this role, but not everyone is capable of making the hard decisions, especially during an emergency situation.
Legal Advice. Estate planning laws are governed by your state of residence. Your best option is to make an appointment with a local estate planning attorney to learn whether there are any other documents and plans you need to put into place. Some law firms provide a means of documenting assets to ensure that, at the time of death, your family isn’t on a scavenger hunt to identify assets. In certain states, you can assign a funeral representative to make sure your funeral, burial or cremation and memorial service wishes are carried out. Your attorney will know what you and your family need.

Reference: Augusta Free Press (Nov. 27, 2018) “5 estate planning must-haves”

How Much Should We Tell the Children About Our Estate Plan?

Preparing for Coronavirus: The #1 Legal Document Every Adult Needs to Have

Everyone Should Have a Healthcare Power of Attorney

How Do I Create a Medical Power of Attorney?

Estate Planning Checklist

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