Family reunions can be a wonderful time to ruminate about the past with your family, tell the old stories, remember some of the special times you shared as a family over the years, and create new memories for generations to come.
Reunions and other family get-togethers can also provide the ideal opportunity to have conversations about estate planning. If you set the right tone yourself, you can help everyone feel more at ease talking about the aging process. Be open and direct about your own plans and preferences, then invite others to share too. No one likes to talk about death and dying, but it’s important to have a plan for the future. Talking with family can provide support and thoughts to help make decisions together.
An open discussion now, combined with the right legal documents, can eliminate, or at least reduce, a lot of drama and dysfunction later. Take advantage of your together time now to help ensure a peaceful future. Here are some tips to make the conversations easier:
Set a specific time to have the discussion. This discussion doesn’t necessarily need to be in a formal setting, every family is different. Some families may benefit by having a structured meeting in the den or dining room, other families may work better with a less formal atmosphere on the patio. Whatever setting is chosen, it is a good idea to give those attending a heads up about the topic that will be discussed so they don’t feel blindsided. With hopes that having time to contemplate the discussion, they can join the conversation with thought-out contributions and questions.
Topics to be discussed. In previous publications, I have mentioned legal and practical topics that need to be discussed with your family. Items such as who will be in control of your medical or financial decisions when you are unable to do so yourself; medical decisions and wishes you may want them to know in the event of your incapacity, and other “legal decisions” that are very important. However, don’t forget to consider these nontangible subjects:
Your Life Story. This is the perfect time to record conversations about your own personal life. These recordings will be treasured while you’re still here and long after you’re gone. Allow your family members to ask about memories of yours. You will be creating a time capsule of sorts that will contain the uniqueness of your personality and the experiences that shaped you. Share the valuable lessons you’ve learned from your experiences.
Your Family Tree. Your family might be curious about more than just your own life story. Take this time to go over your family tree and answer questions about your heritage. Getting a who’s who on paper and in a digital format, is an excellent gift to your beneficiaries as they’ll be able to reference it and build upon it throughout the years.
Significant Heirlooms. Every family has heirlooms, and every piece tells a story. It’s common for estate plans to contain physical objects that matter dearly to their owners, such as furniture, bibles, jewelry, collections, and memorabilia. Keeping the story of the object alive is as important as transferring the item to the next generation.
The list of ideas can go on and on. We’d love to help you build your estate plan to include a balanced representation of who you are and what you believe. We can help you through the process of preparing a customized estate plan that reflects those things that are important to you. Call our office today to schedule a FREE initial consultation.