Confronting difficult questions – guidance on questions we should be thinking about during these tumultuous times.
Dear Friends,
The past few days have been an emotional roller coaster for most of us. The news and images of the pandemic continue to dominate our screens and disrupt our lives. The weeks ahead are bound to be even more challenging as we see the monumental impact that Covid-19 is having on all aspects of life. Families across the world are now faced with difficult social restrictions, economic uncertainty, and a deep sense of fear of what lies ahead.
In light of this uncertainty, I’ve been receiving lots of inquiries from clients and friends about what steps they should be taking in order to protect their loved ones and assets and wanted to share a few thoughts and recommendations: First off, take a deep breath! God willing, we will overcome these challenging times together.
That said, the Coronavirus is a stark reminder that life is unpredictable. Just as it is necessary to take precautions to protect ourselves and others from the Virus, it’s also important to develop a contingency plan in case things get worse. Some questions we need to think about and decide include:
- In the event I become incapacitated, whom would I want to make medical and financial decisions for me and what guidelines do I want them to apply?
- If something were to happen to me, who would I entrust to take care of my children and others who depend on me?
- How would I want my wealth to be distributed after my death and how can I ensure that such transfers are completed in the most efficient manner possible?
- What kind of legacy do I want to leave behind?
- Do I have updated estate planning documents in place to help me achieve these goals?
As many of you will be working from home for the next few weeks and access to attorneys is generally difficult and prohibitively expensive, I wanted to offer the following services to help you navigate these challenges:
- A free webinar this Thursday (3/16) at 9am PST or 4pm PST on Estate Planning in Light of Covid-19. Registration is required. Space is Limited.
- 30-minute phone or video conference sessions to help you think through these questions and how they apply to your unique family situation. You can select an open time on my calendar. The cost of these individual sessions will just be $50.
We’ve also reduced all of our flat-fee will and trust packages by 20% in order to enable more people to get their affairs in order during this crisis and are actively researching tools and options to provide online execution of your documents, where it is allowed by applicable state law.
Although my team will generally be working remotely and will be limiting our in-person meetings, we stand ready to assist you in any way possible.
God Bless,
Yaser