We are pleased to join our colleagues at NAEPC (National Association of Estate Planners and Councils) in promoting National Estate Planning Awareness Week.
Estate planning is one of the most overlooked areas of personal financial management. In 2008, the National Association of Estate Planners and Councils (NAEPC) worked with Congressional leaders to pass H. Res. 1499, designating the third week of October as National Estate Planning Awareness Week. According to the resolution, it is estimated that over 120 million Americans do not have up-to-date estate plans to protect themselves or their families in the event of sickness, accidents, or untimely death.
As I often say, “Estate Planning is not something you can afford to put off until tomorrow.” Please join us this special week by reaching out to your spouse, friends, children, parents, clients, colleagues, etc., and stressing the importance of estate planning! We have a wealth of informational articles and blog content on our website (www.altmanassociates.net) to guide people at all stages of life and the estate planning process!
Even if you've done estate planning in the past, I urge you to make sure that your plan is current. An outdated estate plan can be as dangerous as having no estate plan at all! Once a year, if not more, pull out your estate planning documents and read through them. Make sure that what is captured in these documents is a true reflection of your current wishes. Look out for changes such as marriage, divorce, death, estrangement from a relative, or financial gains or losses. Also review the beneficiary designations of your retirement accounts, IRAs, annuities and life insurance policies to make sure that they are consistent with your estate planning documents. Minor maintenance such as this can avoid major heartbreak in the future.
Of course, I welcome the opportunity to serve you and your referrals. To learn more or to make an appointment, please contact us.
