Last year, President Obama signed a proclamation declaring April as “National Financial Literacy Month” in an effort to highlight the importance of financial literacy and teach Americans how to maintain healthy financial habits.
People are naturally more inclined to focus on their financial fortitude as it pertains to their investment, insurance and retirement planning versus estate planning. Estate planning is often perceived as something that is too uncomfortable to address or something that can be put off until a later time.
The truth is that estate planning is equally as important and time sensitive as any other aspect of your financial planning. If you’ve already pursued financial planning, it will be just a slight stretch for you to extend your efforts to estate planning. After all, planning for wealth during your lifetime and planning for its distribution upon your death really go hand in hand.
If you have yet to tackle estate planning, the time is now. If you have an estate plan in place, but haven’t had it reviewed in the last four years, or have experienced any major life changes since your estate plan was created, it’s also time for an appointment. (Check out my recent article: “Right Up There With Not Having an Estate Plan: Having an Outdated One”.)