Homework Before the Holidays – Thompson Von Tungeln

October already. The kids and grandkids are back in school, the Halloween decorations went up before the school supplies were paid off, and somebody in the family has started the annual negotiation over who is hosting Thanksgiving.
Here is something I notice every year about this time. Clients who call in October get their estate plan signed before Thanksgiving. Clients who call in November tend to sign in February. Not because the work takes longer. December swallows everything. Travel, houseguests, year-end at the office, and the plan slides to “after the first of the year.” Then it slides again.
So if you have been meaning to get this done, October is the month.
For most families the first meeting is mostly a conversation. Who steps in if you get sick. Who takes the kids. Whether the house goes to the children equally, or to the one who has been living there and paying the mortgage. Whether the trust you signed in 2009 still names a brother you have not spoken to in years. You do not need to bring anything but yourselves and an honest answer or two.
The alternative is not that nothing happens. California already has a plan for you. It is called probate. It runs through the courthouse, it is public record, and the fees come out of what your kids would have received.
One more reason the calendar matters. If you are planning gifts to children or grandchildren that are supposed to count for this year, they have to be finished by December 31, and that takes some lead time when real estate or a business interest is involved.
The holidays are about family. Sitting down at the table knowing this is handled beats the third slice of pie.
Call 661-945-5868 for a free initial consultation. Do the homework now, then enjoy the holidays.