I have some family members who made their Thanksgiving plans months in advance. Others will make theirs in the first two weeks of November. And then there’s the person who waits until the Wednesday before Thanksgiving to make plans and is surprised when people aren’t available or can’t include them. You probably aren’t surprised by this.
At least once a month, I meet with someone who has waited until the last minute to plan their estate—they may be in the hospital or home on hospice. Often, they’re surprised to find that there isn’t an attorney available to help them at the last minute or that some planning options are no longer possible. Getting your legal affairs in order needs to be done well before it’s too late. Don’t be the person who expects everything to fall into place at the last minute or assumes that you can get everything done when you’re near the end. Finding a turkey or ham the Wednesday before Thanksgiving is hard enough; finding someone who can complete your estate plans when you’re near death can be even harder—and sometimes impossible.
