Make things easy for your kids when you pass away
When we do estate planning for clients, our goal is to make things easy for your kids when you pass away AND help them avoid arguing with each other.
Attorney Tom Olsen: When Mike calls me and ask about doing estate planning for him and his partner, it reminds me that I'm a lawyer. Sometimes I go to a doctor, sometimes I go to an architect, sometimes I go to a planner, and that's their area of expertise. All I know is the questions and I don't know what I don't know. I look to them to answer my questions because they do that all day, every day, whether they're a doctor or plumber, they know the answers. They know what I don't know, they know what, they know to ask me the things that I haven't even thought about. When you and I talk about doing estate planning for people, it's so second nature to us, we've done so much estate planning. We know so many different options out there, what might be the right direction for clients that I think sometimes we take it for granted. When Mike calls and talks about doing this, it reminds me that people do need guidance and direction to get in their estate planning done.
Chrissy: They do, and again Tom, I think you're absolutely right that all people and their professions, they have an expertise in that area. I actually look at it as, that we have a responsibility. The responsibility is to be able to guide people, give them the appropriate information so that they can make the proper informed decisions for themselves and their family. Including one of those pieces that, again, like you said, I think is a common thing that we take for granted, that people are not aware of, is and I think that we can talk about it even after the break, is what you said to him at the very beginning. You said, "Mike, this is what I would recommend in a little overview for you and your partner. However, if you want to get married, it's different."
Attorney Tom Olsen: Everything changes.
Chrissy: That, again, I think people are not aware of those differences.
Attorney Tom Olsen: Well, our responsibility to the clients, our goal is to make things simple, easy, inexpensive for their kids when they pass away.
Chrissy: And/or other loved ones.
Attorney Tom Olsen: I've been telling people lately that when I first started practicing law over 30 years ago, somebody passes away, maybe 20% of the time, the kids will be arguing with each other. These days it's more like 50% to 60% that they're arguing with people. If we set up your plan just right, we're going to avoid that arguing and bickering between the kids when you pass away. If we do things really just right, there's not going to be anything for them to argue about because everything is automatic. They don't even have to deal with each other. All they have to do is wait for a check to come in the mail.
Chrissy: I think that clients are pleasantly surprised and ultimately it gives them a peace of mind that they know the things will be easy for their kids or other loved ones when they pass away.
Attorney Tom Olsen: We do offer a free initial consult to talk about your estate planning at the Olsen Law Group in Orlando. Call us next week and set up your free consult at the Olsen Law Group in Orlando at 407-423-5561. We're going to take a break, we'll be back in just a few minutes.