Have you ever caught yourself saying “I’ll get around to it,” or “Someday I’ll get that done” regarding items on life’s “to-do list”? For over 75% of the U.S. population, completing their estate plans is often put off. The drawback to postponing this particular “to-do” item is that “someday” becomes the day when an unforeseen event or crisis happens.

Did you know that less than half of Americans age 55 or older have a will? According to a recent study by Merrill Lynch, only 18% of those 55 and older have the basic recommended essentials of a will, a healthcare directive and a durable power of attorney. The most common reason is: “I haven’t gotten around to it.”

Believe it or not, everyone over the age of 18 needs an estate plan, whether you make minimum wage or are ready to build a family dynasty. Why?

1. To protect your privacy,

2. To have a say in what happens to you and your assets during and after your lifetime,

3. To minimize the expenses your children will have after your death,

4. To ease the burden on your family,

5. To ensure the continuation of your business,

6. To set up a structure which minimizes conflict between family members and allows smooth transition of assets, and

7. To keep the government from deciding what happens to you and your estate.

The recent, unexpected death of Luke Perry at age 52 forced people to look at the reality that life is short. No one knows when they will die, but everyone has the ability to prepare for it by putting an estate plan in place. We can make it simple and painless for you.

At heart, we are all young and don’t think what happened to Luke Perry will happen to us. Don’t let that stop you from making arrangements for your estate and family. Benjamin Franklin once said that “in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” He was right.