Trick or Treat – What Will Your Family Get?

Halloween is here and all of the kids are excited to head out tomorrow for some trick or treating. Of course they will gorge themselves on candy and a few pranks might be in the works. One that seems to make the rounds in our house is an old mannequin head that seems to end up poking out of the covers when people are about to crawl into bed. Of course this is an estate planning blog, so what does this have to do with estate planning? Well, my question is – when it comes time to settle your estate will your family receive a trick or a treat? Will you have everything in order that will allow them in a time of grief to proceed easily and quickly through the process? Or, will there be disarray and the need for time consuming and sometimes costly court proceedings? In other words, will they receive a trick or a treat? I heard this morning, the quickest way to be successful is to replace bad habits with good ones. Procrastination is a bad habit. Reportedly 80% of people die without a will or trust, leaving things for their families to figure out. Most likely they intended to take care of things, but just never got around to it.So, this weekend, as you sneak a piece of Halloween bounty, take a moment to consider whether you are leaving your family – a trick or a treat.