AL Estate Planning & Elder Law Blog

Are you looking forward to traveling this summer? Are you planning a vacation including spending time with family and friends and enjoying time outdoors. Are you staying at home? Are you traveling to another state or out of the country? Now that the pandemic has lessened in its impact, the travel choices seem endless. 

As you plan your summer vacation, are you traveling with your minor children or grandchildren on a trip? Are you making sure that their days are planned with adventures? Or are you in need of an adventure, or just getting a change of scenery or traveling to an exotic place with your loved ones?  As you begin to plan your summer travel there is a lot to consider, but have you included your Alabama estate planning to your action list? It may not have crossed your mind initially, but it should be on your action list as you begin to prepare. On our blog below, we want to share an Alabama estate planning checklist for you to review before your summer adventure begins. With our recommendations you will be able to travel with peace of mind.
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Do you currently have an Alabama estate plan? When was it created? Has it been updated recently? What planning tools are included within it? And, perhaps even more importantly, does your Alabama estate plan reflect your current needs, values, family, and the legacy you want to leave at the time of your passing?

In our years of experience, the majority of the clients we work with understand the importance of creating an Alabama estate plan. Our clients want to proactively decide what should happen in a time of sudden crisis or death, and they do not want to leave their wishes either to chance or the Alabama state mandated process. Unfortunately, though, they do not keep in mind the upkeep a comprehensive Alabama estate plan requires. Your Alabama estate plan is a critical part of not only your estate, but your overall health and well being. With that said, your Alabama estate plan should not be left unattended and, instead, be reviewed at least every three years, if not every year, to make sure it will still work the way you need it to.
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Have you recently received the news that you have cancer? Are you concerned about the impact on you and your loved ones? Do you have an Alabama estate plan? Estate planning is critical for everyone, especially at this time of a cancer diagnosis. From being able to make the early choice of who will be able to care for you in a crisis to who should have legal authority to make decisions when you are incapacitated to, ultimately, deciding who should inherit from you at a time when you are no longer here, are each important conversations that take place when you work with your Alabama estate planning attorney. Were you aware that

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Were you aware that an Alabama estate plan is a critical tool for everyone to have? Your Alabama estate plan will allow you to think about what you want for yourself, your loved ones, your business, and your legacy. It is about more than what happens at the end of your life, although that is an important part of the process. Your Alabama estate plan will motivate you to answer tough questions including, but not limited to, what should happen if you no longer have the capacity you need to make your own decisions or who should pay your bills if you cannot?

 

Knowing you need an estate plan is the first step forward to planning for your future. The next logical question to ask may be:  Is there a right time to plan your Alabama estate plan? As Alabama estate planning attorneys, this is a question we are frequently asked and want to share five events in your life, no matter your age, when you should create an Alabama estate plan.  

 

1.
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Are you looking for ways to help the seniors in your family, neighborhood and community? Did you know that May is National Older Americans Month?  In fact, this celebration of our Older Americans is to encourage communities, families and loved ones to get involved in learning about the issues that our Older Americans face as they age. Do you have senior loved ones in your family? Do you have neighbors who are seniors? This month think about how you could help the Older Americans in your life by using the ideas below.

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Have you recently heard that you will be receiving an inheritance? Receiving an inheritance is quite momentous. Whether you were expecting it, or not, inheriting money should be taken seriously by you. No matter what the amount is, you should make sure that you are taking the steps you need to protect your new asset and have the guidance you need.
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Do you care for a loved one with autism? Are you working carefully to plan for your loved one’s future? You know that although the specific needs of an autistic individual can vary greatly depending on the severity of their autism, many people with autism need assistance throughout their entire lives. 

So, how do you begin to create your Alabama estate plan with your loved one with autism in mind? Most important is to begin planning early. Whether you care for your loved one with autism in your capacity as a parent, grandparent, or sibling, part of your role is to make sure there is a solid legal, financial and medical foundation in place.

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Have you recently had a loved one diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS)? Or do you know someone with multiple sclerosis or wonder what exactly multiple sclerosis is? Multiple sclerosis is a central nervous system disorder that is most often diagnosed between the ages of 15 and 50. MS damages or destroys the protective covering, known as myelin, surrounding the nerves of the central nervous system and causes reduced communication between the brain and nerve pathways. This leads to a variety of health

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Do you have a loved one in your family diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis or another disability? Are you the caregiver for your loved one? As Alabama attorneys, we know how challenging it can be to ensure that your disabled loved one is protected on a daily basis. When you think about the lifetime caregiving needs of your loved one, are you concerned about a future when you may no longer be able to care for your loved one?

What can you do to help the loved one you care for? As  Alabama estate planning attorneys we understand the laws surrounding how you may protect yourself and your disabled loved one now and in the future. There are estate planning tools to ensure that your loved one with a disabling condition will be as supported as he or she can be.

Unfortunately, one of the most challenging aspects of witnessing a loved one struggle with a disabling condition may be the sadness and confusion he or she experiences, often exhibited in different ways. Some ways may be through angry outbursts and belligerence or through silence and innocence.

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This Valentine’s Day, do you want to say “I love you” to your children in a totally different way? How about the gift of an Alabama estate plan and by creating a loving legacy for them?

We know there are many ways that you can show your love to your children during this month of February. However, we would like to share some ways that you can protect your family by planning and creating a loving legacy that will provide for them in the future.

1. Have you thought about the impact any long-term care you may need could have on your legacy?  Because the cost of long-term care for older Americans is rising, it is important to be prepared by creating a plan to afford the long-term care that you may need in the future. This is critical so that your family is not left struggling to pay those costs.
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Are you considering remarrying? Are you thinking that February is the perfect month to plan a wedding, including the venue, the menu and all the combined family, yours and your future spouse’s? As you and your future spouse think about what needs to be done, what about your Alabama estate plan? Whether you currently have one or not, you should have one before you remarry. Here is why.

In a first marriage the goals of most spouses match and estate planning is not a problem. Each spouse wants to take care of the surviving spouse for as long as he or she lives, and then divide what is left equally among their children. Or, if your children are still minors, you set up a trust for the children until they are adults.
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