October marks the 8th annual National Estate Planning Awareness month. From selecting guardians for young children, to planning for incapacity, to making sure that your assets pass the way that you intend so that your family is taken care of, to new and developing areas of the law, there are so many important reasons to plan ahead and keep that plan up to date.
Did you know that more than half of American adults do not have an up-to-date estate plan in place? And, of those who do have a plan in place, the percentage with an estate plan and all of assets identified fully aligned with that estate plan is even smaller. Our focus this month will be on the many ways that you can protect yourself while you are alive and take care of your family after you’re gone through estate planning.
October is also designated as National Cyber Security Awareness Month. Cyber security impacts our personal financial security, the security of our online accounts and even our estate planning. Nowadays, there are few among us without digital assets in some way, shape or form. From using the Internet to access accounts to web-based programs, websites and even apps on your phone, there is an ever-increasing need for awareness of and planning for these digital assets. This has become an especially timely topic with the recent data breach at Equifax which has affected more than 143 million consumers. We are finalizing details for another special event on this topic – stay tuned!
At Family Estate Planning Law Group, we know that estate planning and cyber security are integrated far more than ever before. As always, we encourage our clients to communicate their estate plan to their trusted family members and fiduciaries. The more clarity they have in advance, the more readily able they will be to implement your plan with minimal complications in the future.
For more information, explore our website and contact us to schedule your consultation today!