Are You Planning Your 2024 Vacation? Before You Go, Do You Have the Necessary Estate Planning Documents in Place?

Are you starting to plan your vacation for this year?  Have you checked the travel requirements for your destination?  Do you have the necessary estate planning documents in place in case of an emergency? While the need to do an estate plan often comes up when travel plans are made, the recent pandemic has brought it to the forefront of people's minds. Common questions asked are:

• What happens if something goes wrong during the trip? Oh no, pandemic 2.0!

• Who is going to pay my bills if I'm stuck in the middle of nowhere?

• What if I die? 

• Who is going to take care of the kids?  

• What happens to all my stuff?  

These are some of the questions that people tend to ask and worry about as they get ready to go on a trip. Do you really want to be worrying about what-ifs? Based on the number of pre-vacation requests for appointments, this is exactly what people worry about right before going on a vacation. It is very common for people to call a few days, or a few weeks, prior to a big vacation with the hope of putting together a quick estate plan or to make changes to their current estate plan. However, a quick turnaround is not realistic for a well-designed estate plan. An estate plan that is drafted in a matter of hours or days before a vacation may not have been fully reviewed for errors or legal mistakes. A well-designed plan takes time (six to eight weeks) so that it can be properly drafted, reviewed by multiple attorneys, and reviewed by you to ensure that your documents reflect your estate planning goals.

If you are thinking about putting together an estate plan before your next vacation, or updating your

current estate plan, please plan ahead. Like booking your flight early to get the best deals and making sure that your passport is not expired, setting an estate planning appointment several months before your trip is prudent. It will give you sufficient time to decide on the best tools to meet your goals and desires, to think through your distributions, and to review all of your documents. Getting ready for a vacation is stressful enough. Do not add the task of trying to meet with your estate planning attorney at the last minute. Proper estate planning takes time.

If you are planning a vacation this year and have concerns about your estate plan, please call Rehberg Law Group at 206.246.8772 to set up an appointment. Attorneys' schedules vary and may be booked several weeks out. Remember, estate planning is not something you should do at the last minute. This process should start three to four months prior to your vacation.