Should you plan for a time when your spouse predeceases you?
You love your spouse so much that it causes you great pain to think about his or her death. But, this pain is nothing compared to the agony you will face should your spouse predecease you without an estate plan in place. Estate planning can make dealing with the death of a spouse significantly easier by limiting the stress that may come with being unfamiliar with the family finances and your spouse’s wishes. Here is how to begin planning for the possibility that your spouse will die first.
It is most important to be organized when it comes to estate planning. This means getting all of your financial paperwork together including deeds, vehicle titles, and bank account and life insurance information. Keeping these all in a safe place will make it easier for both you and your spouse to access them when the time comes. It will also allow you to become more familiar with your finances so that you can create a comprehensive estate plan.
You also want to think about digital assets at this point. If your family manages its finances online you should put together a list of usernames and passwords so that you will have access to these accounts should something happen to your spouse.
After getting everything organized it is time to do some thinking. You need to contemplate what you would like to happen to your assets should your spouse pass away. More importantly, you need to consult with your spouse to determine what his or her wishes are.
Once you have done of this, you are ready to sit down with an attorney. This attorney will be able to create a comprehensive plan based on the information you are giving him or her about your assets and your wishes.
If you think you and your spouse are ready to create a plan that deals with the possibility that your spouse will predecease you, contact a North and South Carolina estate planning attorney today.