There’s just something about the advent of summer which seems to bring out parental fears here in the Northridge, CA area. (Maybe it’s the Eurozone beginning to collapse?) Even we tax preparers hear about it!

Regardless, when you go to the pool, you see those moms who have their kids on a virtual leash. And, of course, there’s those parents who let their young ones fly all over the place while they sip margaritas and read the latest thriller.

Whatever kind of parent, one thing I KNOW is true — they want their children to be well cared for, should anything ever happen to them.

You see, life can turn on a dime…and we’ve all faced our share of abrupt shifts. Some good, some … pretty rough. But I can’t tell you how good it feels to be prepared for whatever curve balls might come across the plate of your life.

For me and my family, we’ve put some simple plans in place for a VARIETY of circumstances, not just financial or legal. And it truly helps us sleep better at night, just knowing we’ve got it all covered.

But there are also families out there who have bought in to some commonly-held myths about what will happen, and you should know better … so, here I am, ready to bust some of those myths for you…

Northridge, CA Tax Preparer Busts Some Mistaken Beliefs About Estates (1st Installment)
As of this writing, it’s a fact that almost 60% of Americans don’t have a basic will, and that’s a big problem. I’m not confirmed on the numbers for folks here in the Northridge, CA area, but it’s very likely they’re congruent.

One of the big reasons that most families don’t yet have this in place is because of some incorrect thinking about whether it’s right for them, or if it’s even necessary. And sure, some people just haven’t gotten around to creating a will or trust. Others think they don’t need an estate plan because they’re not rich. I’ve even heard from people that they don’t want to put it in place because when they do, it’s sending some sort of death wish into the universe (or some such).

Well, I’ll start by busting THAT myth: Preparing a plan for your succession will not speed your demise. Easy enough.

But here’s the problem–if you continue without an estate plan, you could leave a legacy of bad feelings and attorneys’ fees.

But, I’ll move off of that easy one, and speak to some of the more common misconceptions out there. I’ll start with two this week, and address three more in a future Note.

Paredes MythBusting #1: Only rich people prepare estate plans.

Do you own ANYTHING? Because if so, you need a will. You see, a will allows you to designate who will receive your property should anything happen. Continuing without one ensures that your assets will be distributed under the terms of your state’s “intestate succession” laws. That means your money and property could end up with family members you haven’t spoken to in years, instead of who you’d really like to see control your assets.

I won’t go into all of the different components of a will, trust, health care directive etc., as my purpose here is to emphasize that failing to plan is simply a decision to trust your assets to government bureaucrats.

Even if you think your situation is pretty straightforward, you may feel more comfortable hiring a lawyer to guide you through the process.

Paredes MythBusting #2: Everything goes to your spouse, if something happens.

Unfortunately, that’s not always the case. We deal with clients from different states around the country, and state laws vary. In fact, in most states, if you continue without a will (intestate), your inheritance will be divided among your spouse and your children. In New York, for example, when someone dies intestate, the spouse gets the first $50,000 of the estate and what’s left is divided 50-50 among the spouse and the children.

You can imagine how this could create all kinds of problems, particularly if your spouse was financially dependent on you or you have children from a previous marriage.

I hope you can already see that things are not always as we “think”.