How should you handle the estate plan talk with your parents?

January 20, 2021
Kevin Tharpe

Estate planning is not an easy topic to have with family members. If you worry about whether your aging parents have an estate plan, it is normal to feel apprehension about approaching the topic.

Business Insider suggests that there is a right way to approach parents about estate planning.

Be careful about how you start the conversation

Never start the conversation randomly. Estate planning can be a difficult subject and it may help to plan the conversation. Approach your parents with the idea that you should discuss their estate plan and set a time and place to have the full conversation. You may use your estate plan as a segue into the conversation about theirs. Invite family members to the conversation to ensure that no person feels left out. The more open your parents are about their estate plan in life, the more likely the whole family will agree to it after death.

Focus on responsibilities in the estate plan

An estate plan has to cover death planning and incapacity planning. As you help your parents with their plan, they need to decide who will make healthcare decisions on their behalf and who will control their finances if unable to control them. They can create a living will and a last will. If there is a trust, find out about it during the conversation.

It can feel like you switched roles when you reach out to care for your parents. Let your parents know that you are there for them and if they need help with the plan, ask them to reach out.

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Kevin Tharpe

With 25 years of experience, Kevin understands how estate planning, special needs planning, and government benefits programs work together. This is a crucial element of a thorough plan. He explains your eligibility for benefits programs and ensures that you do not make costly mistakes that may disqualify you or deplete your assets.

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