When you meet someone new, the conversation usually covers the same general topics: family and careers. We love bragging about our family as much as the next person. But when the conversation comes around to what we do for a living, we are much more cautious about sharing our passion. A lot of people are uncomfortable talking about estate planning. Many are even dismissive, believing like Ron Swanson, the gruff but lovable man’s man on Parks and Recreation, that, “The three most useless professions are, in order, Lawyer, Congressman, and Doctor.”
Of the people we meet who share Ron’s disdain for attorneys and belief that formal estate planning is unnecessary, some have written out their wishes like Ron did (he has a piece of paper in his wallet written when he was eight years old that states, “Upon my death, all of my belongings shall transfer to the man or animal who has killed me.”), while others think only rich people need to bother with visiting an attorney. The only thing that convinces Ron he should reconsider his self-drawn plan and seek the advice of an attorney is learning that the government would actually decide who gets all of his belongings if he relies on his DIY will.
This isn’t something that was made up
For example, if you have step-children they would not inherit anything under the government’s default rules. Your first spouse, however, might have a claim against some of your retirement income. Putting a formal plan in place allows you to make these decisions, rather than allowing the government to dictate who benefits from your years of hard work, or gets that special family heirloom that has been passed down for generations.
Parks and Rec
If all of this sounds overwhelming or overly complex, just remember, if Ron Swanson can suck it up and visit an estate planning attorney, so can you!