June 2019 – Are you ready for a stress-free vacation season this summer? To be truly stress-free, you need to consider the Must-Dos of estate planning before you go. I jokingly (but not really) tell my financial planning clients to book a trip on the calendar if they want to get their estate planning documents in order. Then the process they have procrastinated for so long, somehow magically gets done by that deadline (I am not kidding)!
Having things in order not only provides you peace of mind but can also reduce distress for your family if something should happen during your trip. Here’s a checklist of important items to complete before traveling:
- Will
- Trust (if applicable)
- Durable (Financial) Power of Attorney
- Health Care Power of Attorney/Living Will/Advanced Health Care Directive
- Life Insurance
- Account Information gathered in one place
My little book, The Before Financial Checklist, is just the tool we need to “cut to the chase and tell us what to do.” It’s a 15-step checklist that starts with getting us financially organized, then walks us through the necessary homework, warns you about common mistakes people make and ends with things to think about as you get those important estate planning documents completed. Some folks even put their Power of Attorney documents in a “To Go” bag that they carry with them in their vehicle so it’s always with them. Then no matter what our age, we are really ready for that next vacation.
Marie Burns is a Certified Financial Planner™, Speaker and Author of the bestselling Financial Checklist books.