Menu
HARIK THOMPSON CPAs
  • About
    • Team
      • Patricia Harik
      • Kevin Thompson
    • Affiliation
  • Services & Industries
    • Accounting Services
    • Business Consulting
    • Entertainment Industry
    • Estates and Trusts
    • Financial Planning
    • International Taxation
    • Tax Strategies
  • Insights
  • Resources
  • Payments
  • Contact
  • About
    • Team
      • Patricia Harik
      • Kevin Thompson
    • Affiliation
  • Services & Industries
    • Accounting Services
    • Business Consulting
    • Entertainment Industry
    • Estates and Trusts
    • Financial Planning
    • International Taxation
    • Tax Strategies
  • Insights
  • Resources
  • Payments
  • Contact

The Dangers of Procrastination

11/9/2022

 
If you dither and procrastinate over creating even a straightforward will or simple trust, you put the future finances of your family and loved ones in jeopardy. You risk that the assets you have worked for a lifetime to accumulate or protect will not be distributed as you would wish.
If you die intestate, without a will, the state laws of intestacy will govern who gets what and in what proportions. The end result might have nothing to do with your preferences or what you believe is right. For example, some states only require that one-third of a person's assets go to a surviving spouse. Meanwhile you may wrongly be assuming your spouse would inherit all your worldly goods in the absence of a will. And there are many other potential pitfalls.

If you are concerned about establishing guardians for minors, you need a will. Otherwise, courts will not recognize your preferred guardians as legal, even if you have documented your choice. Another thorny patch is joint ownership, whether of properties or financial accounts. The surviving owner or owners automatically become entitled to receive the entire asset, whatever your stipulations.

Are you sure you have recorded beneficiary designations correctly? If you have no named beneficiaries, the funds might end up flowing to the state. Have you been divorced or become estranged from a child? Writing or updating a will is an excellent discipline for rectifying unintended distributions or omissions, which sometimes result from outdated or poorly drafted documents.

With so much at stake, it is a wonder how many people resist basic estate planning. Some of the reasons are plain silly excuses, although others reflect deeper indecision.

Excuses, excuses
Deep down, people may know these roadblocks are not justifiable reasons.
  • Lots of time ahead. But healthy people have accidents, such as car crashes. Another risk of waiting until they are gravely ill is that a will might be challenged on the grounds of mental incapacity.
  • Very few assets. Remember that your close connections will appreciate small heirlooms. Also, even if you have little money, you should still document end-of-life decisions. If you become braid dead, whom do you trust to decide what to do?
  • Too busy; not enough time. Nonsense! It takes about an hour to meet with a lawyer, half an hour to review the documents, and another 20 minutes to sign and execute them. You can handle most of the communications electronically.
  • Legal fees. Nobody likes invoices, but compare the fairly modest cost of will preparation with the amounts your estate can save through proper professional planning.
  • No knowledge of estate planning or will drafting. You may feel inadequate to the task, but that is what an attorney is there for.

Reasons run deeper

You don’t need a psychologist to tell you that no one wants to confront their mortality. Yet there are other complexities that also may be blocking your progress. You need to take inventory of far more than your assets: You need to examine your relationships. Whom do you trust? Reflections on money and power can provoke negative emotions. Crucial family conversations about priorities and goals can also stir up tensions.

Or perhaps you are reluctant to relinquish control. Remember that a will can always be revised and refined later. Don’t let the perfect become the enemy of the good as you struggle to make it a consummate document.
​
The only way to overcome procrastination is to take the first step. Set yourself a deadline for an initial discussion with legal and financial professionals to get going.

Comments are closed.

    Newsletter articles are posted every 2 weeks. ​

    If you would like to have our e-newsletter delivered directly to your inbox, please sign up. Your information is confidential; you can unsubscribe at any time. Subscribe.

    Categories

    All
    1040-X
    1099 Form
    2021 Adjustments
    401Ks And IRAs
    529 College Savings Plans
    941 Form
    ACA Affordable Care
    Accounts Receivables
    ADA Americans With Disabilities Act
    Alternative Minimum Tax
    Annuities
    ASC 606
    Audits
    Back Pay
    Backup Withholding
    Bankruptcy
    Basis
    Benefit Transfers
    Blockchain
    Bonuses
    Budgeting
    Business Closure
    Business Deductions
    Business Interest Expense
    Business Interruption Insurance
    Business Structure
    Business Tips
    Capital Gains
    CARES Act
    Cash And Accrual
    Cash Flow
    Charitable Gifts
    Commercial Real Estate Vacancies
    Communication
    Compensation
    Coronavirus
    Coronavirus Relief Package
    Credit Cards
    Credit Score
    Crowdfunding
    Death And Debt
    Debt
    Deductions
    Depreciation
    Disaster Relief Payments
    Disaster Tax Break
    Diversity Training
    Dividends
    Divorce
    D&O Insurance
    Dollar Cost Averaging
    Down Payment
    Dress For Success
    Earned Income Tax Credit
    Economic Injury Disaster Loan
    Education Credits
    EIN Employee ID Numbers
    EITC
    Elder Mediation
    Employee Direct Deposit
    Employee Leave
    Employee Overpayment
    Employee Ownership
    Employee Pay
    Employee Retention Credit
    Employees Cross State Lines
    Employee Taxes
    Employment Record Keeping
    Employment Taxes
    Entertainers
    ESOP
    Estate Planning
    Estate Taxes
    Estimated Taxes
    Executor
    Expenses And Depreciation
    Expensing Rules
    Family Businesses
    Family Leave
    FATCA
    Federal Excise Tax
    Fiduciary
    Filial (Adult Child) Responsibilities
    Filial Responsibility
    Filing Status Options
    Financial
    Financial Advisor
    Financial Planning
    Flood Insurance
    Floods
    Foreign Earned Income
    Franchise Ownership
    Fraud
    Freelancing
    Furloughs
    Harik Thompson Merger
    Headcount Reporting
    Health Care
    Health Savings Account
    HIPAA
    Hiring Compliance
    Hiring Help
    Hiring Tax Credits
    Hoaxes
    Hobby Vs. Business
    Home Equity Loans
    Home Office Deduction
    Homeowners
    Homeowners' Deductions
    HSA
    Hurricanes
    IC-DISC
    Identity Theft
    Income Tax
    Independent Contractors
    Inflation
    Information Return
    Inherited Mortgage
    Innocent Spouse Rule
    Insurance
    Intestate
    Inventory Management
    Investing
    Investors For Your Business
    IRAs
    IRS CP2000
    IRS Disagreements
    IRS Identity Protection PIN
    IRS Representation
    IRS Rights
    Joint Tenancy
    Key Performance Indicators
    Kiddie Tax
    Layoffs
    Lease Accounting
    Leave
    Legacy
    Life Insurance Trusts
    Loans
    Long Term Care Insurance
    Managing Employees
    Market Capitulation
    Marriage Penalty
    Maternity And Paternity Leave
    Medicaid Trust
    Medical And Dental Deductions
    Medicare
    Mergers
    Mileage Rates
    Morale
    Mortgages
    Multistate Taxes
    Myers-Briggs Personality Types
    Net Investment Tax
    Net Pay
    New
    Newsletters
    New Tax Law
    Noncompete Agreements
    Operating Loss
    Opportunity Zones
    Organize Your Finances
    OSHA
    Outsourced Accounting
    Overtime Exemption
    Padding
    Pandemic Planning
    Papers For Taxes
    Part-time Help Tax Rules
    Passwords
    Payable On Death Accounts
    Paycheck Protection Program
    Payday Changes
    Payday Frequency
    Payroll Cards
    Payroll Scams
    Payroll Taxes
    Pensions
    Personal Finances
    Power Of Attorney
    PPP Loan
    Private Tax Debt Collection
    Profit Sharing
    Property Taxes
    Protecting Wealth
    QSEHRA Benefits
    Quarterly Tax Returns
    R & D Tax Credit
    Real Estate 1031 Exchange
    Real Estate Held In IRA
    Real Estate Investment Trusts
    Reciprocal Agreements
    Records
    Recovery Rebate Credit
    Referral Program
    Rehiring Staff
    Remote Employees
    Reporting
    Reputation
    Retirement
    Revenue Recognition
    Reverse Mortgage
    Sales Tax
    SBA Loans
    Schedule C
    S Corporations
    Self Employment Taxes
    Severance Pay
    Sexual Harassment
    Sharing Economy Tax Implications
    Sick Leave Rules
    Small Business Administration
    Social Media
    Social Security
    Spendthrift Trust
    State And Local Taxes
    Student Loans
    Success
    Succession Plan
    Supplemental Wages
    Supply Chain Risks
    Tariffs
    Tax Brackets
    Tax Breaks
    Tax Changes
    Tax Credits
    Tax Debt Collection
    Tax Deductions
    Tax Forms
    Tax Implications
    Tax-Loss Harvesting
    Taxpayer First Act
    Tax Planning
    Tax Preparation
    Tax Reform
    Tax Refunds
    Tax Scams
    Tax Tips
    Trump's Tax Law
    Unemployment Tax
    W-2 Form
    W-4 Form
    W-4 Requests
    Wage Garnishments
    Wages And Overtime
    Wildfire Solution
    Wills And Trusts
    Withholding
    Work Opportunity Tax Credit
    Year End Tax Considerations

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly