What to Do When You’re Ready to Create Your Estate Plan but Your Spouse Isn’t

Veterans Day reminds us to honor those who've served our country, but it also highlights why military families need specialized estate planning that addresses their unique circumstances and benefits. Read more...

Building generational wealth isn't just about smart investments. It requires a fundamental shift in how you think about inheritance, educate your children about money, and plan for the long term. Read more... Many families focus on building wealth, but fewer think about keeping it. Research shows that a majority of wealthy families lose their wealth by the second generation, and by the third generation, the number climbs as high as 90%. That happens not because parents lack concern for their kids, but because key pieces of planning are missing. Keeping wealth in your family isn’t just about signing legal documents or having a strong investment portfolio. True wealth preservation requires a shift in how you think about inheritance, practical systems that keep your assets accessible, and education that prepares the next generation to be responsible stewards. In this article, you’ll learn three essential elements of building and preserving generational wealth: the mindset shifts that redefine what inheritance really means, the legal and financial strategies that keep assets from slipping through the cracks, and the education process that prepares your children to manage and grow what you’ve worked so hard to build. Most importantly, you’ll see why families who succeed in passing wealth down think differently about what they’re actually leaving behind. The Mindset Shift: From “My Wealth” to “Our Legacy” The families who successfully maintain prosperity over multiple generations understand something critical: wealth is more than money. Yes, you can leave your children a million dollars, but if they don’t understand responsibility, financial management, or your family’s values, that money will vanish. Generational wealth lasts when you pass on both tangible and intangible assets, not only accounts and property, but also the knowledge, traditions, and life lessons that make financial wealth sustainable. Your experiences, values, and even your failures are part of the inheritance that will shape how your children handle what you leave them. This requires a mindset shift: inheritance isn’t a one-time transfer that happens at death. It’s an ongoing process of preparation during your lifetime. Instead of keeping financial matters completely private, invite your children into age-appropriate conversations about your values, your goals, and the responsibilities they may inherit one day. Think of it like teaching your child to drive. You wouldn’t simply hand over the keys without practice and guidance. Likewise, don’t hand over wealth without the training and perspective they need to manage it wisely. Of course, perspective alone isn’t enough. Once you embrace this broader definition of wealth, you’ll need systems that ensure your financial assets are actually protected and available when the time comes. The Practical Side: Legal and Financial Strategies That Work Too many people think, even those with substantial assets, that estate planning is about creating a set of documents. But documents aren’t enough. A document like a will, trust, power of attorney or healthcare directive, cannot pass on all that’s important to you, and it doesn’t address the direct impact on the people you love once you die or if you become incapacitated. The truth is, a document alone often creates more problems than it solves - like months of probate, thousands in legal fees, and painful family conflict during an already emotional time. That’s why my Life & Legacy Planning® process goes further. Protecting wealth and passing it on requires much more than a set of documents that eventually go stale over time. Protecting wealth requires so much more, such as: Comprehensive Asset Organization Your plan begins with a complete inventory of everything you own - bank accounts, investments, real estate, insurance policies, digital assets, business interests, and personal items of value. Each asset is titled correctly and integrated into your overall plan so nothing is lost or overlooked - and can be passed on to the people you love. A Plan That Stays Up to Date Life doesn’t stand still, and your plan shouldn’t either. Marriages, divorces, births, deaths, and property changes all require updates to ensure your plan continues to reflect your current life and wishes. Through regular reviews, I help ensure your plan stays current so it works exactly as intended when your family needs it most. Clarity for the People You Love A Life & Legacy Plan doesn’t just protect your assets—it protects the people you love from uncertainty. Your family receives clear guidance about what you own, how to find it, and what to do when the time comes. I help you document where accounts are held, how to access them, and who to contact for help. This clarity prevents the confusion and conflict that too often arise when families are left searching for answers. Ongoing Guidance and a Trusted Relationship Legal strategies form the foundation of wealth preservation, but they’re only one part of the equation. My role as your Personal Family Lawyer® is to serve as your trusted advisor for life - someone who understands your family, your values, and your goals, and who will be there to guide your loved ones when you no longer can. And if I’m not able to be there, I’ll have a trusted colleague you can turn to who will be there in the same way I would. That ongoing relationship ensures your plan works not just legally, but practically and emotionally, for the people you care about most. Creating a comprehensive plan and keeping it updated over time is only one part of preserving generational wealth. For true generational wealth to last, your children also need the tools, guidance, and values to use it wisely. The Education Piece: Preparing the Next Generation Even the most thoughtfully crafted estate plan can’t prepare your family to carry your intentions forward. Real success requires education, communication, and participation, so the people you love understand not only what you decided, but why. That’s why I encourage families to treat planning as an ongoing conversation, not a one-time event. When your family understands your decisions in advance, such as why you chose certain beneficiaries, appointed specific roles, or structured inheritances a particular way, they’re far less likely to experience confusion or conflict later. These conversations also provide a chance to share your values, priorities, and hopes for how your wealth will be used to strengthen relationships, not divide them. If you are a member of my FamilyCare Program, I will facilitate family meetings where we review your plan together. In these meetings, we explain how your plan works, what responsibilities each person may hold. It also gives them the opportunity to ask questions while you’re here to answer them, preventing misunderstandings later. Having everyone in the same room, literally or virtually, builds understanding and unity, ensuring that your family has a clear roadmap and a trusted advisor they can turn to when the time comes. When you work with me, you’ll also record a Life & Legacy Interview, where you'll share your stories, values, instructions for your loved ones, and your reasons for the choices you’ve made. Combined with periodic family meetings and regular plan updates, this approach ensures that your loved ones are never left wondering what you wanted, or why. Ultimately, the goal isn’t just to pass on assets, but to create a foundation of trust, understanding, and continuity. When your family is informed and included, they’re empowered to honor your legacy with confidence and clarity. When your children are educated and prepared, the next question becomes: how do you ensure that wealth doesn’t just last for them, but also for grandchildren and beyond? Thinking Beyond One Generation The families who keep wealth for generations plan not just for children, but for grandchildren and great-grandchildren. This often means using structures designed for long-term stewardship: Trusts that distribute assets over time, protecting against mismanagement or outside threats. Family governance structures that bring relatives together for ongoing discussions about values and shared resources. Family foundations that involve multiple generations in philanthropy, reinforcing shared purpose and connection. The goal isn’t simply to pass down money. It’s to create a structure that helps your family stay connected, supported, and guided by the values that built the wealth in the first place. With the right mindset, strategies, and education in place, the final step is taking action. Start today, while you have the time and clarity to shape your legacy. Your Legacy Starts Now Preserving generational wealth requires more than smart investments. It requires intentional planning, ongoing education, and a fundamental shift in how you think about inheritance. As a Personal Family Lawyer® Firm, I help families design Life & Legacy Plans that protect not only your money, but everything that truly matters - your values, your wisdom, and your family’s future stability. My process begins with a Life & Legacy Planning Session, where we’ll clarify your goals, review your family dynamics, and create an inventory of your assets, both financial and intangible. From there, we’ll build a plan that ensures your legacy lasts for generations. Ready to protect your wealth and everything it represents? Click here to schedule a complimentary 15-minute discovery call today. calendar.trustamdlaw.com/widget/bookings/discovery-call-cheryl This article is a service of AMD Law, a Personal Family Lawyer Firm. We don’t just draft documents; we ensure you make informed and empowered decisions about life and death, for yourself and the people you love. That's why we offer a Life & Legacy Planning Session, during which you will get more financially organized than you’ve ever been before and make all the best choices for the people you love. You can begin by calling our office today to schedule a Life & Legacy Planning Session. The content is sourced from Personal Family Lawyer® for use by Personal Family Lawyer firms, a source believed to be providing accurate information. This material was created for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as ERISA, tax, legal, or investment advice. If you are seeking legal advice specific to your needs, such advice services must be obtained on your own separate from this educational material.

Estate Planning for Unmarried Couples: Protecting the Life You’ve Built Together You’ve built a life with someone you love - sharing a home, experiences, and maybe even finances - but without legal marriage, the law doesn’t automatically recognize your relationship. That means if something happens to you, your partner could be left without legal rights to your property, finances, or even decisions about your medical care. In this article, you’ll learn why unmarried couples face greater legal risks, what key planning steps you can take to protect each other, and how my Life & Legacy Planning® process ensures your wishes are honored, no matter what life brings. Why the Law Doesn’t Protect Unmarried Partners When married couples face illness or death, state law provides automatic rights and protections. But for unmarried partners, those rights don’t exist unless you’ve put them in writing. Without an estate plan: Your partner can’t access your bank accounts or manage bills if you’re incapacitated. They might be excluded from medical decisions, even if they know your wishes best. Your property could go to biological family members, not your partner, regardless of how long you’ve been together. For example, if you own your home in your name alone and you die without a plan, your partner could lose their home overnight - even if they’ve lived there for years or helped pay the mortgage. And while some states recognize “common law marriage,” those laws vary dramatically and apply only under very specific circumstances. Many couples assume they’re covered because they’ve lived together for years, but unless your state legally recognizes that relationship and you’ve met every technical requirement, your partner still has no rights under the law. These outcomes aren’t just unfair, they’re avoidable. With the right plan, you can give your partner the legal authority and protection the law won’t automatically provide. Essential Legal Tools Every Unmarried Couple Needs The good news is that with thoughtful planning, you can ensure your relationship is legally recognized in the ways that matter most. Here are tools I use in my Life & Legacy Planning process to protect unmarried couples: 1. Health Care Documents Without legal authorization, hospitals must turn to your next of kin, not your loved one, for decisions if you’re incapacitated. A Health Care Power of Attorney gives your partner the right to make medical decisions for you. Pair it with a Living Will or Advance Directive that outlines your wishes for end-of-life care, so your partner can advocate for you confidently. You can also include a HIPAA Authorization, which allows medical professionals to share information with your partner. Without this, privacy laws may prevent them from even knowing what’s happening. 2. Financial Power of Attorney This document gives your partner legal authority to handle financial matters if you’re unable to. Without it, someone will have to go to court to gain control, delaying urgent decisions like paying your mortgage or medical bills, keeping your life running smoothly during a crisis. 3. A Will or Trust A Will determines what happens to your assets after you die, and a Trust determines what happens after you die and if you are incapacitated. Without a Will or Trust state law dictates who inherits, and unmarried partners are not recognized heirs. Moreover, if you only have a Will, your loved ones will have to go through probate. Probate is a court process that can take months or years, often becoming expensive and emotionally draining - especially for someone who isn’t legally recognized as family. It’s also a public process. Anyone can view the court records to see what assets you had, the value of your assets, who your loved ones are and where they live, as well as other personal information you may not want available for public consumption. A Trust, on the other hand, avoids probate. Trusts can ensure your partner receives the home, joint property, or financial accounts you want them to have, without the delays and public nature of probate court. It also gives you flexibility to provide for other loved ones, like children, parents, or friends, while protecting your partner’s right to remain in the home or access shared funds. 4. Property and Beneficiary Designations Even the best plan fails if your assets aren’t titled properly, and beneficiary designations don’t match your intentions. If this happens, your assets may bypass your partner entirely. 5. A Written Cohabitation Agreement While not traditionally thought of as part of “estate planning,” a cohabitation agreement can be invaluable for unmarried couples. This document outlines how you’ll handle shared property, expenses, and financial contributions both during your relationship and if it ends. It can help prevent disputes and make sure each partner’s contributions are respected and accounted for. Don’t Forget Emotional and Practical Planning Estate planning for unmarried couples isn’t just about protecting assets; it’s about protecting the person you’ve chosen as family. You have the power to decide if your partner will deal with chaos, conflict, uncertainty and unnecessary expenses after you die, or if your partner will know exactly what to do, when, and how, with the right support to make it as easy as possible. The difference depends on whether you’ve planned for the emotional and practical aspects of death, in addition to the legal tools. When you work with me as your Personal Family Lawyer, I’ll help you not only get the right legal tools in place, but we’ll also cover the emotional and practical aspects of planning, such as: Creating a comprehensive asset inventory and keeping it updated over time. Without a complete inventory, even the best legal document ever written can fail if your partner can’t locate everything you own. Recording a Life & Legacy Interview so you can pass on your stories, values, and love. Your partner will cherish this forever and have guidance directly from you if they’re ever forced to navigate difficult decisions in your absence. Creating open communication among your loved ones. I will support you to have difficult conversations with everyone you love about your wishes for medical care, funeral plans, and what you’d want done with your home and possessions. These conversations relieve your partner from the burden of guessing and ensure they can act with confidence when the time comes, rather than fighting your family in court. Take the Next Step to Protect the Life You’ve Built If you and your partner aren’t legally married, estate planning isn’t just important - it’s essential. Without it, the person you love most could lose everything you’ve worked for together. But with the right guidance, you can make sure your wishes are honored, your partner is cared for, and your love story is legally protected. When you work with me, I’ll help you: Clarify what would happen if either of you became incapacitated or died today. Create a clear plan that gives each of you legal authority and protection. Build an updated inventory of assets so nothing gets overlooked. Schedule ongoing reviews, so your plan evolves as your life and relationship change. Most importantly, your partner will know exactly what to do and whom to call when something happens—because I’ll be there to guide them. Schedule your 15-minute discovery call today and find out how I can help you protect your partner, your home, and the life you’ve built together. calendar.trustamdlaw.com/widget/booking/JDAbqicl45eEE3dRRmpb  This article is a service of AMD Law a Personal Family LawyerⓇ Firm. We don’t just draft documents; we ensure you make informed and empowered decisions about life and death, for yourself and the people you love. That's why we offer a Life & Legacy Planning Session, during which you will get more financially organized than you’ve ever been before and make all the best choices for the people you love. You can begin by calling our office today to schedule a Life & Legacy Planning Session. The content is sourced from Personal Family Lawyer® for use by Personal Family Lawyer firms, a source believed to be providing accurate information. This material was created for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as ERISA, tax, legal, or investment advice. If you are seeking legal advice specific to your needs, such advice services must be obtained on your own separate from this educational material.

When someone you love dies, grief hits hard enough. But imagine adding legal chaos, confusing paperwork, and no one to guide you through it all. That's the reality for thousands of people every year who are left to navigate a confusing, messy, and expensive legal and financial process without support. In this article, you'll read real stories of families who struggled through the legal and financial process alone, the challenges they faced, and why having the right lawyer, as a trusted advisor to you and your loved ones, makes all the difference for the people you love when they need it most. Let's start by looking at what actually happens when families are left to navigate the process on their own. 

You hired a lawyer, signed your estate planning documents, and filed them safely away. Or maybe your financial advisor created your documents, or you might have done them yourself online, for free using AI. You think your work is done. But then you die, and your loved ones are left battling court delays, family conflict, and financial loss. It’s a scenario I’ve seen too many times. Families who thought they were protected learn—too late—that their loved ones' estate plan failed them. The problem? Traditional estate planning focuses on creating legal documents, not on building a plan that works when your loved ones need it most.  In this article, I’ll share real stories I’ve heard and read about that show why documents aren’t enough—and how Life & Legacy Planning® offers a better solution.

When Anna Harp lost her father, Rudolph Clausing, she didn’t get to say goodbye. It was January 2021, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Her dad had been battling lung disease when he contracted the virus, and strict hospital protocols meant his family couldn’t be by his side in his final days. Anna was just 27. Her father was 66. And in an instant, he was gone. But in the aftermath of her father’s passing, as her mother gathered his things from the hospital, she discovered something Anna never expected—a notebook, and inside it, a note scrawled in her dad’s handwriting: “It has been such a good life.” Seven simple words. And yet, to Anna, they were everything. This touching story reveals something profound about what loved ones truly need after someone dies. While we often focus on financial inheritance and legal documents, the reality is that your loved ones will treasure your humanity, your love, and your guidance far more than any material wealth you leave behind. So the question is: are you preparing to give them what they'll value most? What Your Family REALLY Values After You're Gone In the immediate aftermath of losing someone you love, money becomes secondary to the desperate need for connection, comfort, and understanding. They'll be searching for pieces of you, trying to feel your presence, and longing to know what you would have wanted them to do. When you die without sharing your deeper thoughts and feelings, your loved ones are left with an emotional void that no amount of money can fill. They may spend years wondering what you were thinking, whether you were proud of them, or how you would have handled certain situations. This uncertainty has the power to create lasting pain that affects their relationships, their decisions, and their ability to move forward with confidence. The people who struggle most after losing someone aren't necessarily those with financial problems—they're the ones who feel emotionally adrift because they don’t know how to find peace after their loved one has died. The True Legacy of Love: Clear Communication and Guidance The best way to help them find peace is by passing on your love. Love is expressed through preparation and clear communication. When you take time to share your thoughts, values, and wishes with your family, you're giving them a roadmap for navigating life without you. This isn't just about end-of-life care or funeral arrangements—it's about providing the emotional support and practical guidance they'll need for years to come. This type of communication becomes a legacy of love that extends far beyond your lifetime. When your children face difficult decisions, they can ask themselves what you would have done. When they need encouragement, they can remember your words of support. When they want to honor your memory, they know exactly what would make you proud. Clear communication also prevents the kind of family conflicts that can destroy relationships after someone dies. When everyone understands your wishes and the reasoning behind them, there's less room for misunderstanding or manipulation. Your words become a unifying force that brings your loved ones together rather than driving them apart during an already difficult time. Unfortunately, traditional estate planning completely misses this crucial need for emotional connection and ongoing guidance. Traditional planning focuses solely on legal documents, as if dying is a purely financial transaction. Traditional estate planners may ask you who should get your house and how to minimize taxes, but they won't help you communicate your values, share your life lessons, or prepare your family for the emotional realities they'll face after you're gone. Create Your Own Legacy of Love Through Life & Legacy Planning Life & Legacy Planning is so much more than traditional estate planning. It prepares your loved ones for a life without you. Here’s how: You Create Clarity, Not Just Documents Life & Legacy Planning is so much more than creating documents. It's estate planning done the right way so that it will work for the people you love most when they need it to. Once you create a Life & Legacy Plan with me, your loved ones will have the guidance they need. They’ll know where to find important documents, how to access your accounts, and what steps to take first. They will have clear instructions about everything from paying bills to handling your business interests. But most importantly, they'll understand your wishes, not just about money, but about the things that matter most to them—how you'd want your children raised if you die while they’re minors, and what values you hope they'll carry forward. Your loved ones will know what family traditions you want to pass on, and what stories you want to tell about family members long-since passed. You Prepare Your Loved Ones for Financial Realities Your Life & Legacy Plan will also address the financial realities - not just the transactions - your loved ones will face. How will your spouse manage the mortgage? What about your children's future education costs? How can you ensure your family maintains their lifestyle while also preparing for long-term financial security? The answers to these questions won't come from a life insurance policy or a set of documents alone. You Leave a Piece of Yourself An important part of my Life & Legacy PlanningⓇ process, most clients tell me it’s the most important part, is I help you create a Life & Legacy Recording. It's your opportunity to speak directly to your loved ones about what matters most. You might share the story behind family heirlooms, explain your values and hopes for the future, offer encouragement for difficult times ahead, or simply express how much your family means to you. Unlike Rudolph's note, which was discovered by chance, your Life & Legacy Recording is specifically designed to be watched when your family needs it most. It becomes a permanent reminder of your love, wisdom, and presence in their lives. Your grandchildren will even be able to hear your voice and learn from your experiences, even if they're born years after you're gone. You Give Them a Guide So They Have Someone to Turn to When They Need It Finally, I have systems in place to review and update your plan on an ongoing basis as your life and assets change, so your plan will work over time, and so you have a trusted advisor at your side who has your back. I'll form a relationship that will last throughout your lifetime, and I'll be available to your loved ones so they know exactly what to do and when. If I am no longer available, know that I’m part of the Personal Family LawyerⓇ network - lawyers who also use the Life & Legacy Planning process - and I’ll ensure one of them will be able to step in and support you and the people you love. This ongoing relationship is what truly makes the difference. Most lawyers lose touch with clients once the documents are created, leaving families to navigate the legal process alone while they're grieving. When they have to go through probate or handle other legal matters, they have no idea what's expected of them or how to manage the process—and this is overwhelming, especially when they're also dealing with grief. Let’s Build a Plan That Leaves No Questions—Only Love If you want to create a plan that leaves a legacy, don’t wait. Life is unpredictable. But your love doesn’t have to be. As your Personal Family Lawyer® Firm, I’ll help you create a Life & Legacy Plan that protects your family legally, prepares them emotionally, and leaves behind the greatest gift you could ever give them the gift of your love. Schedule your complimentary 15-minute discovery call today, so we can create a plan that helps you say: “It has been such a good life.” calendar.trustamdlaw.com/widget/booking/SM5Rw4nPHp116frqxKXn This article is a service of AMD Law, a Personal Family Lawyer Firm. We don’t just draft documents; we ensure you make informed and empowered decisions about life and death, for yourself and the people you love. That's why we offer a Life & Legacy Planning Session, during which you will get more financially organized than you’ve ever been before and make all the best choices for the people you love. You can begin by calling our office today to schedule a Life & Legacy Planning Session. The content is sourced from Personal Family Lawyer® for use by Personal Family Lawyer firms, a source believed to be providing accurate information. This material was created for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as ERISA, tax, legal, or investment advice. If you are seeking legal advice specific to your needs, such advice services must be obtained on your own separate from this educational material.

You've just lost someone important to you, and now you're responsible for their home. Maybe it's sitting empty while you figure out what to do next. Maybe you're planning to sell it, or perhaps other family members want to move in eventually. Whatever your plans, you're about to discover that an empty house needs almost as much attention as an occupied one—sometimes more. The challenges of managing a vacant inherited home go far beyond simply deciding whether to keep it or sell it. From the moment you take responsibility for the property, you're facing security risks, maintenance issues, insurance complications, and legal responsibilities that most people never anticipate. Let's walk through what you can expect and how to protect both the property and your family's interests. The Immediate Security Concerns You Can't Ignore The first 48 hours after someone dies can be critical for protecting their home. Unfortunately, there are people who see a death announcement or funeral notice as an opportunity. Break-ins during funeral services happen, and an obviously empty house can become a target for theft or vandalism. Your immediate priorities should include securing all entry points and changing the locks as soon as possible. You don't know who might have keys or alarm codes. That trusted neighbor who helped your relative might be completely trustworthy, but their teenage son's friends are unknown quantities. The home health aide who cared for your loved one might have made copies of keys with good intentions, but now those keys represent a security risk. Beyond changing locks, you'll want to establish some basic security measures. Make sure neighbors know who should and shouldn't be around the property. If there's a security system, update the codes and contact information. Consider having someone stay at the house during the funeral service if possible. Remove easily portable valuable items as quickly as you can. Jewelry, small electronics, cash, prescription medications, and firearms should be your first priorities. Don't forget about items that might not seem valuable to you but could be attractive to thieves, like tools, lawn equipment, or collectibles. The goal isn't to empty the entire house immediately, but to remove the items that would be easiest for someone to grab quickly and that would be hardest for you to replace. While security concerns might seem like the biggest challenge initially, they're actually just the beginning of your responsibilities as the new property owner. The Ongoing Maintenance That Never Stops Once you've secured the immediate concerns, you'll discover that houses don't pause their needs just because they're empty. In fact, vacant homes often require more maintenance attention than occupied ones because small problems can quickly become big problems when no one is around to notice them. Heating and cooling systems still need to run to prevent damage to the structure and remaining contents. In winter, you can't simply turn off the heat—frozen pipes can cause thousands of dollars in damage. In summer and humid climates, lack of air circulation can lead to mold growth that can destroy the property's value. Regular inspections become crucial when no one's living in the house day-to-day. A small roof leak that a homeowner might notice immediately can cause extensive damage in an empty house before anyone discovers it. Clogged gutters, missing shingles, or foundation issues won't announce themselves—you need to actively look for them. The property's exterior needs ongoing attention too. An unmowed lawn, unremoved newspapers, or uncleared snow immediately signals that the house is vacant. This not only creates security risks but can also violate local ordinances and affect the property's value. You'll need to arrange for regular lawn care, snow removal, and general upkeep to maintain the property's appearance and value. Don't forget about pest control. Vacant homes can quickly become attractive to rodents and insects, especially if there's food left in pantries or if entry points aren't properly sealed. What starts as a small mouse problem can become a major infestation that damages the property and creates health hazards. Beyond the day-to-day maintenance challenges, there's another critical issue that many families discover too late: their insurance coverage may not be what they think it is. The Insurance Complications That Could Cost You Here's something that catches many families off guard: your loved one's homeowner's insurance might not cover damages that occur after the house becomes vacant. Insurance companies consider vacant properties to be higher risk, and many standard homeowners policies have clauses that limit or exclude coverage for properties that have been unoccupied for more than 30 days. You need to contact the insurance company immediately to report the change in occupancy status. Some insurers will provide continued coverage for vacant properties, but usually at higher premiums and with more limited coverage. Others might cancel the policy entirely, requiring you to find specialized vacant property insurance. The stakes here are enormous. If the house burns down or suffers major damage and the insurance company determines it was vacant without proper coverage, you could be personally liable for the full loss. This could easily amount to hundreds of thousands of dollars. Even if you're planning to sell the property quickly, don't assume you can skip this step. Estate sales often take longer than expected, and even a few months of improper coverage could result in devastating financial consequences. The key is to be proactive and honest with the insurance company about the property's status. Work with them to understand your options and ensure continuous appropriate coverage throughout the time you're responsible for the property. While these challenges might seem overwhelming, there's a way to prevent most of them from becoming problems in the first place. How Life & Legacy Planning Prevents These Problems All of these challenges become much more manageable if your loved one had a proper Life & Legacy Plan in place. Unlike traditional estate planning that focuses primarily on legal documents, Life & Legacy Planning anticipates the practical realities your loved ones will face and provides systems to handle them smoothly. When you work with me to create your Life & Legacy Plan, we will include a complete asset inventory that documents everything your family needs to know about the property, including the deed, insurance policy and other documentation relevant to the home. This inventory prevents your family from having to search through boxes and files while they're grieving, trying to piece together basic information about what you own. Life & Legacy Planning may also include strategies to ensure funds are immediately available to cover property expenses. This is crucial because, without proper planning, your family might have to pay out of pocket for maintenance, repairs, insurance, and utilities for months or even years if you need to administer the estate through probate.. Imagine having to cover a major roof repair or heating system replacement from your own savings because the estate's funds are tied up in court. Many people aren’t in the position to be able to do this while keeping up with their own expenses. Perhaps most importantly, when you work with me to create your Life & Legacy Plan, your family will have me as their trusted advisor when these challenges arise. They won't have to search for help while they're dealing with grief and trying to figure out what to do with your house. Instead, they'll have someone who can guide them through each decision with confidence. Taking Action to Protect Your Family If you want to make sure your loved ones know exactly what to do with your house after you die - and they have the support they need for every step - the time to act is now. As a Personal Family Lawyer® Firm, I help you create a Life & Legacy Plan that works so your loved ones aren’t burdened with the stress of trying to figure out what to do. You’ll start with a Life & Legacy PlanningⓇ Session, where you’ll get more financially organized than ever before, and learn what will happen to your home, your loved ones, and all your assets if you become incapacitated or when you die. Armed with this knowledge, you and I will create a plan together that fits your unique needs, wishes, and values at a price that works for you. When you work with me, I make it easy for you to give your loved ones the greatest gift - the peace of mind that comes from knowing you’ve taken care of all the details, so they don’t have to. Click here to schedule a complimentary 15-minute discovery call and learn how I can help you create a plan that truly protects the people you love: calendar.trustamdlaw.com/widget/booking/SM5Rw4nPHp116frqxKXn This article is a service of AMD LAW a Personal Family Lawyer Firm. We don’t just draft documents; we ensure you make informed and empowered decisions about life and death, for yourself and the people you love. That's why we offer a Life & Legacy Planning Session, during which you will get more financially organized than you’ve ever been before and make all the best choices for the people you love. You can begin by calling our office today to schedule a Life & Legacy Planning Session. The content is sourced from Personal Family Lawyer® for use by Personal Family Lawyer firms, a source believed to be providing accurate information. This material was created for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as ERISA, tax, legal, or investment advice. If you are seeking legal advice specific to your needs, such advice services must be obtained on your own separate from this educational material.

An estate plan often focuses on tangible property such as jewelry, artwork, money, and vehicles. However, in this age of technology, it is important to remember to include your digital assets. Digital assets consist of everything we own online. Because we spend more time on computers and smartphones than we ever did before, you may not realize how much digital stuff you own, from photos and videos to online accounts, cryptocurrency, and nonfungible tokens (NFTs).