Are you busy wrapping gifts, planning meals, cooking special holiday goodies, cleaning house and anticipating the arrival of your loved ones coming to visit? With all these preparations can you believe that in just a few short weeks, it will be 2023? As the senior member of your family are you interested in giving the best gift you can to your family that is actually not wrapped? We have an idea.
While reflecting on the past year we encourage you to also look to the future. What are your goals for yourself, your loved ones, and your legacy? What does the future hold for you, for your loved ones, for your care in the future and for your legacy? While hurrying to finish your holiday shopping for your family, again we recommend that you consider completing or updating your Florida estate plan. It truly would be the best gift you could give to your family that does not need to be wrapped.
Are you currently without a Florida estate plan? Or do you have a Florida estate plan but have not updated it? In moving forward with your planning do you have any questions? Questions such as:
- Who will make your decisions if you are incapacitated?
- Who will have the legal authority to pay your bills if you are in a car accident?
- Who would handle your business affairs if you could not?
- If you were hospitalized, what would happen to your pets?
- Should your adult children be in charge of your finances?
- Do you need additional insurance policies?
- Do you know if your retirement plans will be able to support you as you age?
- Do you have out-of-state estate planning documents, do you know whether they will work in Florida?
- Do you know whether any laws have changed in the past few years that now make your estate planning irrelevant?
- Have there been any changes in your family composition that necessitate the need to update your planning?
In our office we often hear important questions like these from our clients and their family members. When it comes to Florida estate planning, you need to be confident that your estate plan will work when you need it to. This holiday season, a completed Florida estate plan that lets your loved ones know what you want for yourself, your family and your legacy is quite possibly the best gift you can give that you do not have to wrap.
Furthermore, we want you to know that in addition to your estate planning, which is a critical part of your health and well being, there is a second planning component that needs to be addressed and completed as well. This is your elder law planning. Because many Americans will need some form of long-term care after they reach the age of 70, the time for planning is now. Senior adults need to know that long-care is not covered by Medicare and it will, therefore, fall on the Florida senior to pay for. As elder law attorneys we can assure you it does not have to be this way. We would like to work with you to create not only an estate plan but also a long-term care plan that can protect the estate plan you are putting in place and allow you to be able to leave a legacy for your family, no matter what the future holds.
We know this article may raise more questions than it answers. No matter where you are in life’s journey, we can help. The most important thing is to protect yourself and those you love. Whether you need to update your estate plan, are preparing for future long-term care needs, or have a loved one entering or already in a nursing home, we are ready to assist you. We have three convenient locations and are ready to serve the communities around Highlands and Polk County, Florida. Take your first step by contacting us today.
