In the normal course, the first few months of the year are generally a busy time for estate planning. Clients have Wills on their “to-do” list for the New Year – and in fact, many comment that such a resolution has remained on their list for multiple years. We are pleased to report that many feel very relieved when they are able to strike this item from their “to-do” list and inevitably comment that they do not know why they put it off for as long as they did!
Since the onset of the pandemic, the urge to get documents in order has also been clear. We have encountered this both from new clients that do not have documents in place and from existing clients who wish to confirm or reassess their Wills. Sometimes it is a young couple with children who have a new-found concern for getting their estate plan in order. It could be an elderly person who has been thinking about changes for some time, or perhaps a couple who had a Will prepared when they were married and/or had children, and now they wish their adult children to be included more significantly in their estate planning documents. There are also many dedicated front-line workers who are concerned about getting their estate plan in place while they work through this crisis.
No matter the circumstances, we know that Wills and Powers of Attorney are on people’s minds. The impact of the virus is that many are isolating at home and in doing so, have time to consider their assets and their loved ones, both crucial parts of any estate plan.
There are many ways to reassess your estate planning documents. At Lerners, we have remote access to our Wills database, and we are able to respond to client’s questions about their documents and/or work remotely to take their instructions on new documents or updated documents
