Write It Down: Elevating Your Estate Plan

Write It Down: Elevating Your Estate Plan

By Melinda Gustafson Gervasi

January 31, 2023

The month of January coincides with a fresh start for many people.  Whether it be joining a new gym to going "dry" by not drinking any alcohol for the month to finally getting your estate plan drafted (or updated), many of us resolve to improve our condition at the start of a new calendar year.  For those of you focused on creating or improving your estate plan, I suggest the following quote as a guiding light:

“Paper is to write things down that we need to remember. Our brains are used to think.”  ― Albert Einstein

Specifically, when managing your powers of attorney consider making a list of each person or entity that you provided a copy of the form to.  For example, my power of attorney for health care is on file with: my hospital, my primary care doctor's office, my spouse, and each of my alternate agents.  Rather than remember this list, I have a notation in my estate planning binder.  This will aid me down the road when I update my document to make certain the updated form is given to all of the same entities and ensure the old form is shredded or properly negated. 

American productivity consultant David Allen summarizes it best with the following quote;

“Your mind is for having ideas, not holding them.” ― David Allen

Thank you for reading.  Remember, a blog post is not indicated to convey legal advice but rather to cause thought and reflection.  It is best to consult with a lawyer in your home state for advice specific to your unique situation. 

Tidying Up -- Subtle Tips for Improving Your Estate Plan

Tidying Up -- Subtle Tips for Improving Your Estate Plan

By Melinda Gustafson Gervasi

January 17, 2023

Mid-January in my home means it is time to take the Christmas tree down (we use an artificial tree because I am severely allergic to real Christmas trees).  As the twinkle lights come down and the furniture is restored back to its normal position in the living room, I use this time to tend to my estate plan in three subtle ways:

1. I print out a hard copy of my holiday card mailing list with the thinking that "if I care enough about this person to mail a holiday card, I want the address easily accessible should the person need to learn of my illness or passing".  The print out is kept with my estate planning binder.  It's never more than a year out of date; 
2. I purge holiday décor that is broken, went unused, or no longer brings us joy.  My 17 years as an estate planning and probate attorney make me aware that one day I will either move or die.  One way or another the closet that holds all of our holiday decorations will need to be packed up.  This motivates me to keep what we treasure, and the rest can be donated, gifted, or recycled.  Doing this annually is a gift to my future self, and one day my loved ones; and
3. I organize my recipes.  The holiday dinner table is a wonderful way to honor and recognize your late loved ones by serving a favorite dish.  Sadly, those foods may not be easy to replicate if the recipes were never written down, were tossed when the kitchen contents were quickly purged following an untimely death, or the ink on the recipe card is faded beyond recognition.  Sadly a Swedish cookie recipe of my mother's has faded beyond comprehension and the Sicilian rice ball recipe of my husband's late aunt died with her as it was never written down.  

An estate plan is much more than a will and powers of attorney.  It is the practice of tidying up your life so that those precious and dear mementos or practices can easily be shared with the loved ones who carry on after you are gone.