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Give Family Valentines Day Present

Last Saturday, we all celebrated Valentine’s Day with our loved ones. Like other special holidays and birthdays during the year, it is a great time to tell your family members that you love them and how much they mean to you. One of the best Valentine’s gifts that you can give to your spouse, your children, and your other family members is the gift of an up-to-date estate plan, so that, if something ever happened to you, your loved ones will be protected.

I know it is easy to put off preparing these documents. In a way, it is understandable, because no one likes to think about death (especially their own). However, putting off drafting your will, trust, and other estate planning documents until “tomorrow” could be a huge mistake in the event of an untimely death.

This may apply to your parents too. You would be amazed how often an older parent tells their son or daughter that everything has been signed or updated, when the parent has either not done so or forgets to do so. As a result, if it’s your mother or father, I strongly recommend that you make sure that these key documents are in fact completed and signed according to their wishes.

Here Are the Top 5 Reasons to Just Do It

Here are the top 5 reasons why it makes sense to draft or update your estate planning documents now:

  1.  To clearly set forth your distribution provisions and not leave your wishes up to the state statutes.
  2.  To clearly name the person who will be in charge of making decisions in the event of your death or incapacity and not leave this important decision up to the state statutes.
  3.  To reduce the likelihood of a family dispute.
  4.  To reduce administrative costs (and in some cases taxes too).
  5.  To give you and your family peace of mind, knowing that your wishes are clearly spelled out in your up-to-date estate planning documents.

Most of the time, there is a triggering event that makes people come into my office to draft or update their will or trust. Perhaps it is a cancer diagnosis, the death of a parent, or Altzheimers/dementia issues for a family member. Whatever it is, these triggering events get people to say to themselves, “I have to do something for myself and my family, and I have to do it now.” Hopefully, this blog is the trigger for you or for a loved one to start this process today.

Need help? Please call me today – 602.277.7000

Our firm has helped hundreds of families just like yours handle a wide variety of business planning, estate planning, probate, and elder law issues. When families or business owners are not getting along, we can also handle any disputes and litigation related to their businesses, wills, trusts, guardianships, or conservatorships. Please give me a call, so that I can help you work through these difficult issues with confidence.

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    • "Thank you for my peace of mind, knowing that my estate and medical attention are in place for my children to handle easily. I appreciate your expertise covering areas I was unaware I should address. John and his staff were very professional and efficient in my estate amendment. I highly recommend this office."  -Chris February 28, 2025

    • "One of the best decisions I ever made was selecting John Even to oversee settlement of my mom’s estate/trust. His wisdom and insight on reaching a positive outcome for each family member was priceless. Without his patient encouragement over three years, I would have settled for a bad compromise early on. Each meeting was concise and educational. John only proposed a meeting when necessary, saving our estate thousands of dollars. "  -Bradley December 03, 2024

    • "It was a pleasure to work with Attorney John B. Even and his excellent legal assistant, Emily, and paralegal, Jacqueline. This competent team seamlessly worked to develop our Will and Family Trust. Mr. Even patiently explained each document to us. John is a knowledgeable and compassionate attorney with a deep understanding of the law and a great ability to clearly explain complex legal issues. "  -Rita November 22, 2024

    • "I enjoyed working with him and his team - everybody was delightful, and they made the process very easy. John is warm and friendly, impressively knowledgeable and explained all the details in simple terms for me to understand. I now have peace of mind about how my assets will be distributed and wishes will be carried out and know that my loved ones won't be burdened by debate, hassle, or financial hardship if I ever end up incapacitated."  -Mirelle April 18, 2024

    • "We have known John Even for many years. So, I will say that he was our first choice. I get many advertisements in the mail for trusts and estate planning and at various prices. I called a few of them. We stayed with John for several reasons. He had a flat fee with us. So there was NO chance of getting billed extra hours for this and that. Which is often the cast once you sign on the dotted line. John was very explanatory about the process of setting up a trust, He looked at all our information. our children, accounts, and many things I had never considered. This was what I needed to get clear on the whole process. "  -Thomas January 28, 2024

    • "Attorney Even and his staff are professional, personable, responsive, and clearly expert in the estate planning world. The time spent gathering our information allowed Mr. Even to produce thoughtful, custom documentation that will serve us well. The print and electronic versions of our records that were provided will make maintaining them, and sharing them as appropriate, very easy...a real plus."  -Larrh January 24, 2024

    • "Our Estate Planning journey with John B. Even and his team was a “5 Star” experience! John’s character, values, and knowledge was evident throughout the entire process. John and his team listened carefully to our wishes, and yet, asked great questions to help us collaborate on exactly the right Estate Plan. We would highly recommend John and his team!"  -Rob & Terri September 25, 2023

    • "Once I made my initial call to Mr. Even‘s office I never looked back – great decision! His staff is courteous, caring and efficient. Mr. Even is professional, highly knowledgeable, good listener and adviser. I highly recommend Mr. Even. It is a privilege to have him on my team!"  -Trusts & Estates May 14, 2018

    • "John is an excellent wordsmith, and did a great job of putting my thoughts, ideas, and issues into a clear legal document. I have known and worked with him for 25 years on business issues, including business purchases, of two companies and then selling them for retirement. He is also a delightful person to work with and has an excellent group of to-workers."  -Estate Planning May 3, 2018

    • "He was willing to spend time explaining things."  -Estate Planning February 24, 2018

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      1221 East Osborn Road
      Suite 105
      Phoenix, Arizona 85014
      Phone: 602-277-7000
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