Our Weekly Tip: Estate Planning During the Holidays

Raise a glass: try talking about death and estate planning with loved ones this holiday season.
(credit: loveallthingscomfy)

Our Tip of the Week: San Francisco’s O’Grady Law Group raised a pretty good question this month: Why not bring up the topics of death and estate planning during the holiday season? It is, after all, the one time of the year when everyone is together.

Well, easier said than done.

The holidays are a time of real bonding. And as O’Grady wrote in a recent newsletter, “there are often stories, laughter, and good cheer. [So of course no] one wants to break the ice and talk about the elephant in the room — the future health and financial security of each other.”

How-to Suggestion: Everyone’s family is different and, thus, everyone’s approach to the topic will vary. But here are a few ways to bring up estate planning:

1) Don’t Surprise-Attack with the Subject:
Let family members know ahead of time that you’d like to discuss estate planning – and that you look forward to it being a collaborative, enriching experience.

2) It Doesn’t Have to Be a Downer:
There are so many resources out there that help individuals plan events to discuss death (ex. Death over Dinner). Would you believe there are even card games ? Take inspiration from these resources as you plan your own meetup. Death and estate planning are serious topics – but that doesn’t mean they can’t benefit from an initially lighter, even festive approach.

More Tips: Explore more of SevenPonds’s estate planning resources here. Explore other end-of-life tips through our Practical Tips column.