{"id":477,"date":"2017-03-02T14:42:13","date_gmt":"2017-03-02T21:42:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ogbornelaw.com\/?p=477"},"modified":"2023-07-24T20:52:47","modified_gmt":"2023-07-24T20:52:47","slug":"begin-estate-planning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/webtechs-designs.com\/2023Ogborne\/begin-estate-planning\/","title":{"rendered":"What Do You Need to Begin Estate Planning?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>No matter your circumstances, it\u2019s always a good time to start your estate planning, but there are certain times that it seems to come more to the forefront. Perhaps you just got married, divorced, or had a child. Now that you\u2019re ready to get your affairs in order, you need to look at the next steps. So what are those? What exactly do you need to begin estate planning?<\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_76 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/webtechs-designs.com\/2023Ogborne\/begin-estate-planning\/#Set_Aside_Time_and_Create_a_Deadline\" >Set Aside Time and Create a Deadline<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/webtechs-designs.com\/2023Ogborne\/begin-estate-planning\/#Get_Your_Finances_in_Order\" >Get Your Finances in Order<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/webtechs-designs.com\/2023Ogborne\/begin-estate-planning\/#List_Out_Your_Heirs\" >List Out Your Heirs<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/webtechs-designs.com\/2023Ogborne\/begin-estate-planning\/#Choose_Your_Decision_Makers\" >Choose Your Decision Makers<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/webtechs-designs.com\/2023Ogborne\/begin-estate-planning\/#Make_an_Appointment_with_an_Attorney\" >Make an Appointment with an Attorney<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Set_Aside_Time_and_Create_a_Deadline\"><\/span>Set Aside Time and Create a Deadline<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>If you\u2019re like most people, you have every good intention of completing things, but then life gets in the way. We\u2019re all busy people. Your estate plan is important, though, and not only for you.<\/p>\n<p>Carve out some time to go through the list of what you need to do to begin your estate plan, and then give yourself a timeline in which to accomplish that preparation. Schedule it on your calendar, and don\u2019t let anything else get it in the way.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Get_Your_Finances_in_Order\"><\/span>Get Your Finances in Order<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Before you\u2019re ready to start distributing your estate, you need to know how much you have to share. If you don\u2019t already have one, create a spreadsheet of your assets, your debts, and your net worth. For property and valuables, gather deeds and statements to share with your attorney.<\/p>\n<p>The types of things to consider under your assets list are real estate, vehicles (including boats, bikes, and ATVs), bank accounts (including CDs, savings, and money market), investment accounts, IRAs and pension plans, life insurance, and collections of value. Remember to also include debts associated with or separate from all of those assets.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"List_Out_Your_Heirs\"><\/span>List Out Your Heirs<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Once you know what you have, you need to determine to whom you\u2019re going to give those assets. Make a list of all the people you want to inherit from you, such as spouses, children, grandchildren, friends, significant people in your life, and charitable organizations.<\/p>\n<p>Next, you\u2019ll need to specify how you want everyone to inherit from you. For instance, you may want different children to receive different amounts of money or gifts, perhaps even at different times. And you may have a blended family, so how will you leave money to your spouse and children? These are all considerations you\u2019ll have to take into account before you make your appointment with your estate-planning attorney.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Choose_Your_Decision_Makers\"><\/span>Choose Your Decision Makers<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>After you\u2019re gone, you\u2019ll need some important people to make decisions on your behalf. Who will be the guardian of your minor children? Who will be the executor of your will? If you become incapacitated who will make healthcare decisions on your behalf?<\/p>\n<p>Sometimes, people make assumptions about these things: \u201cMy spouse will do it. I\u2019ll leave the kids to my best friend.\u201d But unfortunately, they don\u2019t often discuss these choices with the designated decision makers, or they don\u2019t think about how hard it could be for a grieving widow to make smart choices about the will, for example, especially if there are children from two marriages.<\/p>\n<p>Spend some time deciding on these names, and be sure to have those all-important conversations and set expectations with these people to be sure they\u2019re on board. It\u2019s not every day that someone is asked to be the executor on a will, so give them time to get used to your decision\u2014and to say no, if need be.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Make_an_Appointment_with_an_Attorney\"><\/span>Make an Appointment with an Attorney<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>You may be thinking that you can create an estate plan on your own, but that\u2019s not the smartest choice. An estate plan involves so many intricacies, and just having a will doesn\u2019t mean your estate will avoid probate. And it gets more complex as your assets and debts grow, you have more heirs, or you own a business.<\/p>\n<p>Instead of taking matters into your own hand, gather your information, ask yourself the hard questions, and then call Ogborne Law Firm. We dedicate ourselves to protecting your business and your family following your death, and we work with you now to make smart choices toward that end.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>No matter your circumstances, it\u2019s always a good time to start your estate planning, but there are certain times that it seems to come more to the forefront.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":11599,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37,31,41],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-477","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-estate-planning","category-family-law","category-faqs","category-37","category-31","category-41","description-off"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v24.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>What Do You Need to Begin Estate Planning? - Ogborne Law, PLC<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"To begin estate planning you need to set aside time and create a deadline, get your finances in order, list your heirs, and choose decision makers.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What Do You Need to Begin Estate Planning?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"To begin estate planning you need to set aside time and create a deadline, get your finances in order, list your heirs, and choose decision makers.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/webtechs-designs.com\/2023Ogborne\/begin-estate-planning\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Ogborne Law, PLC\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2017-03-02T21:42:13+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-07-24T20:52:47+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Michelle Ogborne\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:image\" content=\"https:\/\/webtechs-designs.com\/2023Ogborne\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/what-do-you-need-to-begin-estate-planning.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Michelle Ogborne\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/webtechs-designs.com\/2023Ogborne\/begin-estate-planning\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/webtechs-designs.com\/2023Ogborne\/begin-estate-planning\/\",\"name\":\"What Do You Need to Begin Estate Planning? 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