Why is it that when people know they “need a Will” they so often fail to get one done? If they do get one done, why do they leave it so late – procrastinate until some event in their lives or in the lives of someone close to them gives them a wakeup call – a reminder that death is not our decision to make unless we have reached a point where we sadly wish to take our own life.
I have always been keen to find the predominant reason or reasons that people to fail to plan for what they leave behind – is it fear? If so, fear of what? Is it complexity, the need to work through difficult issues leading to difficult decisions based on legal terminology that embraces the need to satisfy the law but not the need to satisfy a need for comprehension?
The need for progress not perfection works wonders. It enables you to see that getting something in place or improving upon your current position is far more valuable then retaining the status quo. Rather than Estate Plan being set in stone, it is a plan to be developed over time and can be reviewed and modified in the future to achieve a situation closer to the “ideal” result. Estate Planning should be seen as a process not an event!