“If It Isn’t Written Down, It Didn’t Happen” – Wills, Powers-of-Attorney & Health Proxies
Any fan of the novelist Tom Clancy is probably familiar with these words uttered by the wife of his chief protagonist, Jack Ryan. Ryan is constantly needling Dr. Caroline “Cathy” Ryan about her compulsive habit of making notes about everything as a method for reminder and also a simple record of events.
She defends the practice as the best way to keep track of everyone’s commitments and intentions, especially given their hectic lifestyle – in that book he happens to be Vice President and she a busy physician, both with young children in tow.
Creative marketers and seminar sales-folk have built and sold entire programs of self-discipline and personal organization around the concept.
But the government of the state in which you live is far ahead of both.
Regarding your client’s planning intentions and goals; all 50 states have legislation in effect that effectively says, “If they aren’t written down, then they didn’t happen!”
Who needs Estate Planning?
The fact is that everyone needs estate planning, not just the wealthy. Everyone has concerns about what will happen to themselves, their survivors and their belongings in the event of any number of life-changing events.
Critical to the assurance that all will go as desired in each circumstance is the execution of at least three written planning documents. If they don’t exist then the State will do your clients’ planning for them.
Contact us to discusses these documents in further detail so you can better encourage every client to take necessary steps for their completion in conjunction with their advisors.