Four Scary Things That Can Happen if You Don’t Have an Estate Plan

There are a lot of scary things that can happen if you don’t have a comprehensive estate plan in place. Today, we’ll be covering four of those things.

1. The state decides who gets what

If you don’t have a plan in place, the state will step in and decide who inherits what from your estate. This includes your home and bank accounts. If you have estranged family members, they may inherit things even though you don’t want them to.

2. The state decides who raises your kids

Without a guardianship plan in place, the state is going to step in and assign a guardian for your children. Depending on your family dynamics, your children may be placed in a home with people they don’t know very well or who may raise your children in a way that you don’t agree with.

3. Your family may start fighting each other

When there are no written instructions, family members may start to rely on conflicting memories of what you wanted. One may say that you wanted them to have Grandma’s engagement ring while another says they were supposed to inherit it, which causes a massive fight. When people are in mourning, they start to act out of character and unusual fights can break out.

4. Your medical and end-of-life wishes may not get carried out

If you have particular wishes regarding medical care and your memorial, but they aren’t written down, loved ones will be left guessing what you wanted. In regard to medical care, they may believe that you want to be left of prolonged life support, even if you don’t. In terms of your end-of-life wishes, one loved one may say you wanted to be cremated, and another may remember that you wanted to be buried.

If any of the above sent a shiver down your spine, working with an Estate Planning Attorney can help you prevent these scary scenarios from happening to you and your loved ones.

Schedule a consultation to discuss your options.