What is Elder Law?
Elder law covers all of the issues that either specifically or more frequently impact people over the age of 65 (though that age is not a hard limit—those under sixty-five can take advantage of elder law). An elder law attorney deals with a wide variety of legal issues, including long-term care planning, retirement, guardianship, healthcare, Social Security, Medicaid/Medicare, and other, similar issues. Disabled people are also covered under many of the same laws as the elderly, as there is often an overlap between the two groups.
In these uncertain times, elderly people are at their most vulnerable. According to the CDC, older adults are at the “highest risk” if they contract coronavirus. The risk for several illness due to coronavirus increases as one ages. It’s important to understand how elder law can help you during these times.
Below, you’ll see an overview of what elder law entails.
Elder Law vs. Estate Planning
The purposes and goals of elder law and estate planning are different. Elder law helps an elderly person attain financial autonomy and freedom through proper financial and medical planning. This area of legal practice tries to help place the elder individual in as stable a situation as possible in the financial, medical, and legal aspects of their lives.
To be frank, the main difference between elder law and estate planning is that the latter is for use after you die, while elder law is for the living. Estate planning deals with what will happen to your assets after you die, while elder law is concerned with the here and now.
Should I Hire an Elder Law Attorney?
If you or your loved one are aging and beginning to encounter issues pertaining to Social Security, Medicare/Medicaid, long-term care, and other elder-specific issues, you might consider hiring an elder law attorney. Having essential legal documents in place will allow you to keep your autonomy to the greatest extent possible. A lawyer can ensure these documents are drawn up correctly and in a way that advantages you. The lawyer has your best interests at heart. Other parties might not.
Where Does the AARP Come In?
The AARP provides free legal counsel to many of its members, depending on where you live. For example, Washington D.C. residents have the benefit of a free hotline that helps seniors who have legal questions. These services also include fighting foreclosures, evictions, obtaining SSI, Medicaid, and VA benefits, and advocating for nursing home residents.
The AARP might also offer programs that will help you prepare power of attorney and will documents. The AARP is a valuable resource for seniors, so check in at your local headquarters to see what kind of services they offer.
Other Serious Issues with Which Elder Law Deals
A very serious area that elder law practitioners deal with is elder abuse. This includes emotional, physical, and sexual abuse, as well as neglect/abandonment, financial exploitation, and healthcare fraud. Neglect, according to the NCOA (National Council on Aging) is the most common form of elder abuse.
The NCOA also has found that one in ten elders are abused yearly, but only one in fourteen cases of elder abuse are reported to the police. It is impossible to talk about the important of elder law without mentioning that elder law practitioners will help you if you or your loved one is suffering abuse—or if you suspect abuse.
This guide is by no means the be-all, end-all of elder law, but it has hopefully helped shine a light on how elder law can help you and/or your loved one. Contact an attorney for more situation-specific questions, as no one legal issue is the same.
Moving Forward for Small Businesses
The impact of Coronavirus on small businesses has been devastating. While the Small Business Administration gave out loans to help small business owners make it through, many are still struggling or were unable to secure the loan before the money ran out.
There’s no doubting that small businesses are truly a cornerstone of the American economy. Businesses with less than five-hundred employees account for nearly half of the American workforce and over 43% of the U.S. GDP (Gross Domestic Product).
One of the main reasons for the struggle is the uncertainly. How long will this last? Will there be a second wave? A second CARES Act? There are a few things to note if you’re a small business looking to keep moving forward. As things open up, keep the following in mind:
Contingency Plans
If you haven’t already, make detailed contingency plans in the event of a second wave. Making plans helps people achieve goals, and writing those concrete plans down increases your chance of success. When creating a contingency plan, make sure that you look ahead—what will you do if things are worse in twenty days? Better? This forward-thinking will help in the long run. You won’t feel blindsided.
Apply for CARES Act Loans if You Haven’t Already
Currently, this is the link for more information for businesses and lenders: https://home.treasury.gov/policy-issues/cares/assistance-for-small-businesses. There is an application that you must fill out, and you will likely have to wait in line. The SBA is swamped, and lending $349 billion is as difficult as it sounds. The money goes through the banks, which then lend the loans directly to local businesses.
Be Prepared to Wait
Be prepared to wait in line. This means including, in your contingency plans, things that you should do to preserve what you can while you’re waiting for your loan. Help your employees contact the government about their loans (unemployment has been increased), and continuously check in with them. Though the idea of waiting might seem daunting, it is important that you don’t let that discourage you from getting in line for the CARES loans.
Your Customers’ Needs Have Changed
People are soon going to be able to leave the house. Your business needs to change with customers’ changing needs. Comply with the current regulations, whether that means increasing your drive-through or takeout or taking other, similar measures. Do what you can, and reach out to your customers to see how you can keep your connection to them going.
Consider Other Sources of Relief
Organizations and companies like Verizon, Amazon, Facebook, and the James Beard Foundation are all examples of the private sector stepping up. These relief programs all have their own specifics, but some of them may be able to help you. Above all, keep abreast of the latest developments in the news regarding relief programs, whether privately- or publicly-funded. You don’t want to be the last to know.
Business Succession Plan
Lastly, one thing to think about is making sure you have an iron-clad business succession plan in place if something happens to you. We’re not out of the woods yet. Make sure you have a written estate plan that details what you want to happen to your business if you die. Contact an estate planning attorney to make sure it is done correctly.
Everyone is struggling during the Coronavirus, so you are not alone. The constant uncertainty about the virus and the disagreements on how to handle it can be overwhelming. Set out to accomplish one small thing per day. Overloading yourself will only make the feeling of being overwhelmed worse. Hopefully, things will get back to normal soon.
Protecting Your Dad on Father’s Day
Father’s Day is coming up in a few weeks, and we all have different things that we love about our dads. Dads might be the protectors of the family, but they might need protection themselves, as they get older. Helping your father with his estate plan is a long-lasting gift that will give him (and you) peace of mind. Here are some ways that kids can help their parents by setting up an estate planning meeting with an attorney.
Healthcare
As people get older, their health tends to become a little more precarious. Even someone in great shape one day can have a change the next. When it comes to healthcare, there are some major tools in the estate planning toolkit. Namely, you can set up a healthcare directive.
A healthcare directive is a document that lays out your father’s health wishes, whether these include a DNR order, special diet instructions (such as religious restrictions), or other important beliefs. If your father is too incapacitated to verbalize these decisions to the doctors and nurses taking care of him, the healthcare directive will do it for him.
Finances
A power of attorney is a trusted individual that your dad picks to handle his financial, legal, and/or medical affairs in the even that he isn’t able to make those decisions for himself. There can be more than one power of attorney, and each power of attorney can be limited in scope.
A general scope POA handles all of the decisions that your dad needs made. A special POA is restricted to just a certain decision-making field, whether it’s healthcare decisions or finances. Your father will pick the power of attorney, and the idea is to pick someone who is stable and level-headed. A power of attorney isn’t forever—it isn’t permanently taking power away. It comes into effect when in the event that your dad needs help when he’s older.
Updating Wills and Estate Plans
The rule of thumb states that you should update and/or review your will and estate plan every three to five years. However, if you experience a major life event, such as new people in the family, divorces, health scares, etc., you should update it earlier to reflect those changes.
Updating an estate plan can take a long time, especially if there are a lot of documents in the plan. It can take even longer to create a new estate plan from scratch, if your father doesn’t have one in place. Though it takes a lot of time and effort, your dad is worth it.
Setting Up a Trust
If your father knows he wants to transfer a specific piece of property/money to someone and has been talking about it forever (but hasn’t done it yet), helping him set up a trust is a great idea. A trust is a three-party relationship. Your father is the donor. He transfers title to the property to the trustee. The trustee then transfers the property to the beneficiary, which is the person that your father intended to get the property all along. The trustee keeps the property in his possession until instructed to transfer it—usually, the transfer goes through upon death.
Business Succession
If your dad owns his own business, making sure that there are business succession plans in the works will keep his company safe after he retires or passes on. Perhaps he wants his company liquidated and the proceeds distributed, or maybe he wants his company to merge with another. Putting in place a concrete plan for what will happen to the business will be hugely beneficial to your father’s financial stability.
Setting up your father’s power of attorney is just one of many ways that the law can help him as he gets older. Estate planning is a way to ensure long-term safety and financial stability of your dad.
Reflection Time is Over, Now is the Time for Action
2020 has certainly sent us all for a loop. We’ve had months to reflect on our lives and the joys (or lack thereof) of working from home. It’s been a hard few months, but it appears to be coming to a close. Now that quarantine is over and we’re allowed to leave the house, it’s time to check off items on the to-do list that you may have been putting off. Namely, it’s time to review and update your estate plan.
This article will discuss things to think about when checking over and updating your estate plan.
I. Updating Your Will
There are several ways you can go about updating your will, and this section will touch on just a few of them, including: codicils, new wills, and personal property memorandums.
Codicil v. New Will
If you’ve never heard the term “codicil” before, you’re not alone. It’s a legal term, used to describe a minor change to your will. The codicil is a secondary document that you attach to your original will. On the codicil document, you can include changes to existing items in your will. An addendum, by contrast, is something that adds a new element to your will. It is also a secondary document.
However, if you want to make big changes to your will, you might want to simply revoke your old will and make a new one. For example, a change of beneficiary is a big deal, so revoking your old will and creating a new will might be the safest choice. Be sure to follow the letter of the law down to a T, or else your old, inaccurate will might be honored.
Personal Property Memorandum
A personal property memorandum (PPM) is another type of update to your will. A PPM is a separate secondary document, the same as a codicil. You attach it to your will. In the PPM, you list an accounting of all of your personal property. A PPM doesn’t usually have to be signed or witnessed, but you have to refer to it in your will in order for a court to find it valid. Trusts are often a better way to transfer personal property.
Don’t DIY It
If this sounds confusing, that isn’t surprising. A major mistake that people make is thinking they can go onto a legal “DIY” website and write their own will or make changes. It is best to have an attorney help you. The law is tricky and the devil is in the details.
II. Updating Your Estate Plan
The Rule of Thumb
The rule of thumb for updating an estate plan and/or will is to do so every three to five years. The thinking is that, in that time frame, there has likely been at least one or two life changes that might require you to take another look. However, there are other times you should update outside of that “3 to 5” framework.
Other Times to Update
If you go through a major life change or add new members to the family, you should update your will and estate plan to reflect those. These changes can include divorce, remarriage, new babies and other new family members, or changes in health circumstances. You never know what life will throw at you, so it’s best not to stick to the “3 to 5” rule too stringently.
What to Update First
These are just suggestions, but it might be wise to update documents that have to do with your kids or health first. Think about what you prioritize and work backwards from there. If you have a complicated estate plan with a lot of documents, updating/reviewing may be a multi-day undertaking.
Though the rule of thumb says to update your will and estate plan every three to five years, that’s not mandatory. If you’re undergoing a major life change, you should update. Above all, make sure to contact an estate planning attorney to ensure that the process is carried out correctly.
Understanding Probate Law
Probate law is its own field. There are attorneys who practice solely in this complex, multi-faceted field of law, and they know the ins and outs. These estate planning attorneys are the ones you should contact to set up an estate plan, as opposed to joining online sites like LegalZoom to do it yourself.
In this article, we will walk you through a day in the life of a probated estate. For each “step,” there are many sub-topics and sub-steps, as well as ways to avoid probate. This overview should not replace setting up an appointment with an estate planning attorney.
What is Probate?
If you make a will, probate is the way you can authenticate it. Probate court is the legal body that supervises the distribution of your estate and payoff of creditors. If you die intestate (without a will), your estate still goes through probate, but the court will determine all of the distribution factors. Here is an example of step-by-step probate process.
Step One: Authentication
Whoever has your will must file it with the state after your death as soon as “reasonably possible.” What is “reasonable” or not will be determined by the court. The person with the will also will file a petition for probate, which is a request to kick off the process.
Authentication means ensuring that the will is properly-made, accurate, and not forged. Each state has its own authentication mechanisms and laws, and the possessor of your will must be sure to follow the court’s rules on authenticating before probate can really get going.
Step Two: Appointments
After authentication, the court will appoint someone to administrate your will. This person is known as an executor. The executor is in charge of conducting transactions on behalf of your estate (including paying off creditors and distributing assets).
Step Two-and-a-Half: Bond
Sometimes, an executor will have to “post bond” before he or she can distribute the estate. Bond acts as an insurance policy in case the executor leaves or commits grievous errors in administrating the estate. Not all states require bond for executors.
Step Three: Find the Assets
Identifying and listing the estate’s assets is a tedious process. The will may include many of them, but there might be “hidden assets.” The executor can find “hidden assets” through reviewing insurance policies or tax returns.
Step Four: D.O.D. Values
Date-of-death values are the appraisals of the assets—basically, how much an asset is worth on the day the person died. The court can appoint someone to make the appraisals, but the executor can also do the appraisal appointments him- or herself.
Step Five: Creditors
Next, creditors, which are the people to whom you owe debts, must be identified and notified of your death. In many states, an executor must post an ad in the paper to let creditors who are unidentified know that you have died. Usually, once they know you’re dead, creditors will swoop in to try to collect payment.
Step Six: Pay Debts
And once all the creditors have lined up, it is time for the executor to take the values accumulated in your estate, add them up, and start using the value to pay off debts. Creditors come first in probate, not your family.
Step Seven: Tax Returns
Next, the executor must file tax returns for your estate for the year up until your death. The IRS is considered a creditor, and sometimes, it is necessary to liquidate assets to pay off unpaid taxes.
Step Eight: Final Distribution
Your family gets what is left, if there is anything after paying off creditors. The executor will look to your will for guidance on the distribution.
If this sounds terrible, that’s because it can be. There are ways to legally minimize your tax burden and avoid probate court, and an attorney can help you do that. Probate court is a lengthy, difficult process, but it does not have to be that way.
Divorce and Legal Separation
Well, we knew this article would come eventually. Everyone is stuck in the house right now, whether they want to be or not, as Coronavirus rages through the country. Some people are quarantined by themselves, while others are stuck inside with spouses. Being stuck inside with your spouse leads to boredom, and boredom leads to fights. Arguing is just one way to pass the time.
But what happens when these arguments are stuff that your relationship cannot surmount? Old quarrels can lead to divorce and legal separation. If quarantine has driven you to this point, you should probably read this article. Here is some need-to-know info about divorce and its impact on your estate plan.
Divorce Vs. Legal Separation
Firstly, there is a difference between divorce and legal separation. Divorce ends the marriage contract between you and your (ex-) spouse. Legally, you two are no longer married. Legal separation, on the other hand, does not end the marriage contract. In a legal separation, the couple is still married, but they are living apart. A legal separation is a court order that will mandate the rights/duties of the couple during this time period. If you want to be done done, get a divorce.
And, as divorce is the end of the marriage, this article will discuss divorce’s, not legal separation’s, impact on your estate plan.
Divorce’s Impact on Your Estate Plan
Power of Attorney
Do you want someone with whom you have been arguing for two straight months (or longer) to be your power of attorney? The power of attorney is allowed to make major healthcare and/or financial decisions for you in the event of your incapacitation. This position can have a huge impact on your life when you are in your most vulnerable state. Switch out the power of attorney to someone you haven’t divorced. This can include a family member or close friend.
Will
Some states have a strikeout provision in a will that essentially ignores your ex-spouse in the event of a divorce. The provisions about your ex are “ignored” by a court. However, not all states have this, and you shouldn’t rely on it anyone. If your ex is a beneficiary of your estate, take them out. You want to make sure your will (or a trust) is updated to reflect your current status.
Retirement/Life Insurance
Your 401(k), pension, or IRA are not passed down as part of your will. Instead, they go to a beneficiary in the event that you die and are unable to benefit. The same goes for life insurance. If your ex-spouse is listed as the beneficiary on these types of accounts, you should take them off. It’s likely that you do not want your ex getting a windfall of cash in the event of your death, so calling the financial/insurance institutions in charge of these is a must-do.
What About the Kids? Alimony?
Custody and alimony are part of family law, and an estate planning attorney who does not practice family law will likely refer you to another attorney. Custody determinations and alimony determinations are tricky, and they are handled separately than the other, above-mentioned aspects of an estate plan.
According to Bloomberg News, China has already seen a spike in divorce filings. The pandemic is pretty much over there, so China’s spike in divorces serves as a foreboding warning to the rest of the world. ABC News’s interview with Howard Markman (the Center for Marital and Family Studies’ co-director) came to the same conclusion: a surge in divorce is to be expected. Contact an attorney to ensure that there is as little negative impact on your estate plan as possible.
A Mother’s Love
Mother’s Day is coming up, and the holiday reminds us that very few things are stronger than a mother’s love for her children. In the spirit of that sentiment, this article will be geared towards mothers and their kids. We’ll discuss how mothers can protect their kids through smart estate planning.
Moms and Their Kids
While this list certainly is not exhaustive, it does contain some of the most important documents an estate plan should include. Consult an attorney for more information on how to structure your estate plan. Like families, no one estate plan is the same. There is no “one size fits all” option.
Guardianship
One of the last things you probably want to think about with Mother’s Day coming up is what it would be like if your kids did not have a mother. So, we’ll keep this short. Guardianship papers are an essential part of any estate plan. These papers detail who will take care of your kids in the event that you (and your spouse, if you have one) pass away.
Picking a guardian for your kids in the event of a “worst case scenario” means selecting someone who will be there for the day to day. Yes, Disney trips and lavish vacations are fun, but select someone who can stick with your kids for the long haul. Only you know what’s best. Make sure to consult with your proposed guardian before you make the selection, just to ensure that he or she is on board with such a big responsibility.
A Trust
“Can’t I just put my kids in my will and call it a day?” Well, you can, but your will still must go through probate, and that can be a long, drawn-out process that tangles up your assets. A trust, which is a three-party fiduciary relationship, transfers ownership of your asset to your kids immediately.
But, don’t worry. They can’t get their hands on your asset until they are older. You pick the date they receive the trust’s benefits. The person who controls the trust’s distribution is a trustee. Discuss this with an estate planning attorney if it sounds like something you want to set up. A trust is a good way to avoid probate and get your kids what they need immediately.
Updating Regularly
Don’t forget to update your estate plan regularly to encompass changes in the family, whether these include new kids, grandkids, divorces, or other life changes that might cause your will to look different. You don’t want to exclude anyone (or include someone who shouldn’t be), so a regularly-updated estate plan will benefit you and your kids far more than one that is out of date.
Life Insurance
Life insurance is an excellent choice for someone who wants to provide for their kids. Life insurance is a contract between you (the policy holder) and an insurance company. You pay a premium to the company. In exchange, the insurance company promises a payout to the beneficiary (your kids) in the event of your death. Life insurance plans, like all insurance plans, vary in terms of expensiveness and coverage.
Business Succession Plan
For moms out there who own their own businesses, this one is important. Make sure that there is a plan in place in the event that you die. Do you want your business to be passed on to your kids? Or, do you want your company liquidated or sold? Without a succession plan, your kids will be faced with hard, confusing decisions. A succession plan will make this much easier for them.
This Mother’s Day, give your kids the gift of a long-term plan for the future. Consult an estate planning attorney to talk about your options. Above all, be happy and stay safe!
All About Power of Attorney (POA)
You’ve probably heard the term “power of attorney” before, but you might not know the ins and outs of what it requires. In this article, we’ll go through ten things to know about a power of attorney.
1. What is a Power of Attorney?
A power of attorney is actually a legal document. This legal document allows you to appoint an individual (or more than one) to be in charge of your financial, healthcare, and/or legal affairs in the event that you are unable to make these decisions yourself, due to illness. The POA ensures that you will be taken care of, even if you are unable to communicate your wishes to doctors, the bank, or a lawyer.
2. Who Needs a Power of Attorney?
You may think that just the elderly need a POA. However, that is a misconception. Anyone can need a POA, even someone who is in the best shape of their life in their twenties. Not to sound gloomy, but illness (especially now, as COVID-19 is spreading more and more rapidly every day) can affect anyone. Don’t think that because you’re young and healthy now that you won’t need a power of attorney one day.
3. General Power of Attorney
The next four items on this list are definitional. A general power of attorney is also called an “attorney in fact” or an “agent.” This person gets a broad scope of power over your affairs. They handle financial decisions, business transactions, settling claims, employing professional help, making gifts, and even the purchase of life insurance.
4. Special Power of Attorney
A general power of attorney is different than a special power of attorney, as the latter has less of a broad scope. A special power of attorney is a document that grants someone scope over a limited transaction or small part of your life. You might sign a special power of attorney giving someone the ability to manage your property, collect debts on your behalf, or handle business transaction. The scope is far more limited with this document.
5. Durable Power of Attorney
A durable power of attorney is not its own separate POA. “Durable” refers to its validity even if you become mentally incompetent. A special power of attorney or general power of attorney can be a durable power of attorney. This means that it will be valid even while you are mentally incompetent or mentally ill. It’s essentially a protective measure, granting your POA durability—lasting validity.
6. POA for Healthcare
A POA for healthcare is a power of attorney that strictly revolves around your healthcare decisions. Say you are in the hospital for an illness and you are unconscious; your POA for healthcare will make medical decisions on your behalf, keeping in mind what you would want. The POA for healthcare will mirror your healthcare wishes.
7. Who Should You Choose?
Only you can decide who to choose. However, the main factor is trust. Do you trust this person to make sound decisions on your behalf? Your life will quite possibly be in their hands. Level-headedness and trustworthiness are two of the most important characteristics of a POA, with a special emphasis on the latter.
Should you suspect your POA of wrongdoing, you are not left in the lurch. There are state resources, such as an ombudsman or other legal advocates, who can look into transactions and ensure that your POA is not abusing his or her powers. If you feel you are in danger, contact law enforcement.
8. Appointing Multiple People
You can appoint more than one power of attorney, but you need to specify whether they must make decisions together or if they are permitted to make them separately on your behalf. Note that a possible downside of this is that your POAs might not agree, slowing down decision-making and causing conflict.
9. Can Your Choice Be Questioned?
Your choice is valid if you are mentally competent when you sign it. Each state has its own specific laws on competency when signing such a document, and you should contact an estate planning attorney to safeguard your choice from people who may naysay.
10. Now What?
To create a power of attorney, you should contact an estate planner. This attorney will walk you through the document and ensure it is done properly.
With the uncertainty surrounding the coronavirus, now is the time to make sure your affairs are in order if the worst-case scenario comes to pass. Contact an estate planning attorney and set up a POA as soon as possible.
Prioritizing Assets in an Estate Plan
This article is tricky, as every person’s estate is different. “Prioritizing assets” is usually a term used in an emergency situation, when someone does not have an estate plan and the clock is ticking. So, currently, with COVID-19 being the huge threat that it is, estate planning has taken on an emergency function for many people.
Which asset should you protect first? This article will give suggestions as to what you should prioritize. The list runs from “most important” to “less important,” but it is all relative. At the end of the day, it is up to you to decide. Contact an estate planning attorney to determine how your particular estate plan should look.
Most Important: Living Assistance, Healthcare Decisions, POA
Living Assistance
Most people will need long-term living assistance once they get older. You may not know this, but Medicare does not pay for living assistance, such as a nursing home or assisted living. Medicaid does pay for this assistance, but many people are rightfully concerned about the quality of care they will receive if they use Medicaid.
Setting aside a sufficient fund (even if you have to liquidate property to do so) for your living assistance is a top priority. You deserve to have a good retirement, and that includes the portion of your life where you require assisted living.
Healthcare Decisions
A healthcare directive allows you to delineate medical decisions before they happen. This document contains your wishes for your medical care, and doctors and nurses will abide by it. A healthcare directive is a useful document to have if you are unable to communicate these wishes (such as a Do Not Resuscitate order) yourself.
POA
POA stands for “Power of Attorney.” A power of attorney is a document that grants someone the authority to make financial, medical, business, and/or legal decisions on your behalf. The person who you designate as POA in the legal document should be someone you trust to be level-headed and make decisions that would mirror what you would want.
Moderately Important: Business Succession, Trusts
Business Succession
This is definitely in the “most important” section for people who own a business, but for people who don’t own a business, it is not relevant, so business succession planning evens out somewhere in the middle.
If you own one of the 30.2 million small businesses in America, it is vitally important that you have a succession plan in place if you pass away. Who will get your business? Do you want your business liquidated or sold? Perhaps you want it to merge with another company, based on a pre-arranged agreement. It is never too early to plan for a business succession.
Trusts
A trust is a legal document that sets up an immediate asset transfer. You, the donor, transfer title to an asset to a trustee. The trustee acts as a third-party representative until such a time as he or she transfers his or her legal title to a beneficiary. The beneficiary is the person you want to end up with the property after you die.
This type of document avoids probate court. It goes into effect immediately, so, in an emergency, a trust is not a bad tool to look into.
Relatively Less Important: Gifts, Last Will and Testament, Miscellaneous Transfers
Gifts
When you’re thinking of the less-important transfers, gifts would likely qualify. Once you have everything else settled, deciding who gets what gift from your estate can become your main priority.
Last Will and Testament
Many of the courts are closed for another month until COVID-19 passes, so a last will and testament will not be probated for a long time. This document, which specifies where you want your property to go after you die, is not ideal in an emergency.
Misc. Transfers
Small transfers (such as a favorite painting or other, non-essential item) likely can occupy the back-burner for now until more pressing matters are taken care of.
If you’re reading this article and questioning the order of the list, that is perfectly valid. Only you understand your estate situation, and everyone’s property is different. What is important to one person may be unimportant to another. Consult with a lawyer to create an estate plan that is right for you and your loved ones.
Emergency Drafting of an Estate Plan
There’s no missing what’s going on out there today. Coronavirus (COVID-19) has swept across the globe and is an international pandemic. Coronavirus is, according to the CDC, more likely to be fatal to the elderly and people who have autoimmune deficiencies or preexisting illnesses.
It’s no surprise that many people are asking how to draft an estate plan in an emergency. As you may or may not know, an estate plan is a way to legally decide where your assets will go after you pass on. People who have no estate plan, or who have an old, outdated estate plan, should take this time to make sure that they have one. And, if a global pandemic doesn’t count as an emergency, nothing does.
First Things First: Talk to an Estate Planning Attorney
This blog is not meant to be legal advice, and your situation is different from your neighbor’s. You will want to talk to an estate planning attorney about drafting an emergency estate plan. The important thing is not to wait, particularly if you have no estate plan or an estate plan that needs updating.
Drafting an estate plan in an emergency is not the ideal way to do things, but that’s where we are today. Here are some suggestions as to which components of the estate plan to draft first.
Components to Draft First
The suggested drafts include, if applicable, a healthcare directive, power of attorney, trust, last will and testament, and business succession plans. We’ll look at each one individually.
1. Healthcare Directive
If illness causes you to become incapacitated, you still want the doctors and nurses who are taking care of you to know what your wishes are. For example, you might not want to be resuscitated (a DNR order). A healthcare directive lays out these wishes in advance, and the hospital will have them on file to refer to in the event that you cannot communicate.
2. Power(s) of Attorney
Finance and healthcare are two sectors of your life where you may need a power of attorney. This trusted individual, who you select, will have decision-making capacity regarding your financial and healthcare decisions in the event that you are unable to make these decisions yourself, such as in the case of severe illness or unconsciousness. An estate planning attorney can help you set up a power of attorney. Make sure you speak with your proposed individual beforehand to ensure they are on board.
3. Trust
A trust is a three-party relationship between you (the donor), a trustee, and the beneficiary. You sign over title to certain assets to the trustee for the eventual benefit of the beneficiary. The title switch goes into effect immediately. The trustee now holds title to the asset, and, when you pass on (or at another time you designate), your beneficiary will get the asset.
A trust is beneficial in an emergency because it goes into effect right away, and it does not require the document to pass through probate court.
4. Last Will and Testament (with a Word of Caution)
If you don’t want a trust and have your heart set on a will, a last will and testament is an option. It describes your wishes for your property after you die, including to whom you want it transferred and how. The word of caution with this document is that a last will and testament must go through probate court. As the courts are closed now because of the pandemic, the wait time on probate court may be even longer than usual—and it was a pretty time-consuming process before all this happened.
5. Business Succession
If you own a business, a business succession plan is a must-have. If you die, you want your business to fall into the right hands. Or, you might want it liquidated or sold. Either way, having a set plan will prevent your hard-earned business from falling into chaos.
This list is by no means exhaustive, and that is why it is so important to contact an estate planning attorney first. The attorney will listen to your particular situation, and he or she will advise you on the most important documents to draft. This session can be done over the phone or via email, but make sure to check with your attorney’s office as to the precautions they are taking during the pandemic.