Estate Planning Questions to Ask at Thanksgiving

November brings us one of the best holidays of the year, in my opinion: Thanksgiving. It’s a day set aside to eat delicious food with your family. It can be fancy or casual, large or intimate, biological or chosen. Good food, good company, good conversation. I rest my case: it’s clearly one of the best holidays.

Whomever you spend the time with, you are with them because you care about them. Because you are reading an article from an estate planning attorney, you know that estate planning is, at its core, about looking out for those who matter most. Here are some estate planning questions that you should consider asking your family members—particularly your older relatives.

Do you have any estate plan? In other words—do you have a Will, Trust, Health Care Directive, or Power of Attorney? If so—where can we find it if you aren’t around?
If you were in an accident or if there was a serious medical emergency, who is your emergency contact? Who do you want making medical decisions, and what decisions do you want that person to actually make?
If you were in an accident or if there was a serious medical emergency, who would be in charge of paying your bills and taking care of your finances? Does that person know that it’s their job? Do they know where to find your bills and financial accounts?
Can anyone else get into your phone, computer, or email account? (either in an emergency or after your death)

Essentially, all of these questions boil down to: who is in charge of the various aspects of your life if you aren’t able to take care of your assets or yourself, and does that person know where to find their authority or the accounts themselves. For example: (a) who is the person nominated in the Power of Attorney, (b) do they know where to find the physical Power of Attorney document, and (c) do they know where your financial accounts are, and where your bills are?

You may notice that none of these questions are about the actual contents of the Will or Trust. That’s a much bigger question, which can be more off-putting to answer when consuming delicious stuffing. In an emergency, though, it’s more important to know who is supposed to act. It’s also a lot easier for that person to act if they know where they can find the information required to assist.

As you contemplate your plans for this year, consider broaching the topic and getting clarification for the future. The conversation may feel uncomfortable, but that discomfort is preferable to total panic and no knowledge during an actual emergency.

And once you are done, you can reward yourself, and everyone else, with a slice of pie.

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