As your parents age, you may feel the responsibility to help them with the estate planning process. While this can be a challenge for all parties involved, if it’s something you need to do you should take immediate action.
There are many things you can do to start the estate planning talk with your parents, including the following:
- Know what you want to say. You don’t want to dive headfirst into this conversation, without any idea of what you want to say or what you’re trying to accomplish. When you plan for anything and everything, it’s much easier to put the conversation on the right path early on.
- Choose a positive time to have the discussion. For example, you don’t want to bring this to light after a family member has passed away. Instead, you should take on this conversation at a time when your parents are willing and able to think clearly.
- Be sincere about what you’re trying to accomplish. You never want to give off the impression that you’re talking about estate planning for your own financial gain. This is the quickest way to turn a positive situation into something stressful.
- Talk about the importance of estate planning. If your parents are uninterested in creating an estate plan, you need to explain why this is important and what they can do to make it through the process without too much stress.
These “conversation starters” can go a long way in helping you discuss estate planning with your parents.
It can be a challenge to get started, but once the ball is rolling and everyone is on the same page, things will begin to come together.
Estate planning can be complex at times, but that’s only because most people want to do what’s best for them and their family.
Help your parents understand their legal rights and options. This will put them in position to make all the right decisions, thus allowing for less stress in the future.