Let’s face it, procrastination is part of the human condition. “Never put off until tomorrow what you can do the day after tomorrow,” said one of America’s greatest wits, Mark Twain. We prefer an enduring saying by Benjamin Franklin, however: “You may delay, but time will not.”
It’s certainly true that we all battle to one degree or another with procrastination, but when it comes to delaying (and then delaying again, and again) estate planning with your St. George attorney, it won’t be you who pays in the end. It will be those who are left behind to try to tidy the mess and understand what you might have wanted them to do.
Some of the worst procrastinators when it comes to estate planning are those who stand to benefit most from doing it: men and women who own Washington County businesses or who are professionals. Yes, even doctors will sometimes plan on beginning their estate plans tomorrow or the day after.
But remember, a recent AMA study showed that about 60 percent of doctors age 55 or older have been involved in civil litigation. For certain doctors in certain areas of practice, getting sued is sometimes almost unavoidable, which makes their need for business and estate planning even more urgent.
According to the AARP, one of the most important steps in estate planning is to find a qualified estate planning attorney who will find out about your wishes for distribution and protection of your assets, and then help you carry those wishes out. There are a wide variety of sophisticated legal tools available to help ensure that your plans minimize taxes and do all you can to pass on your assets and protect your loved ones.