While Staying at Home for COVID-19, It’s a Good Time to Get Your Financial and Legal Documents in Order

While Staying at Home for COVID-19, It’s a Good Time to Get Your Financial and Legal Documents in Order

As we continue to grapple with the many issues related to the COVID-19 virus, I wanted to touch base with all of you and offer you a few ideas that may be helpful as we are all “hunkering down” at home. If you are like our family, we have taken this opportunity to tackle several projects at home, both inside and in the back yard. As we were working on one of them, I started thinking – we should also take this opportunity to get all of our important financial and legal documents organized as well.  I know that there are several useful resources out there for information, but here is my “two cents”. I hope you find it helpful.

Two Key Things You Can Do

1. Organize Your Important Financial Documents. If you have not done so in a while, now is a great time to organize all of your important financial documents. Whether you do it electronically or in files or in a notebook, having all of your key financial information in one place will make things much easier for your family members if you ever become sick for a period of time. Also, because so many of our accounts are online these days, remember to compile a list of your user names and passwords.  Finally, each of us has certain key advisors and other important people in our lives. How about compiling a list of these key people and their contact information for your family members as well?  My wife refers to it as our “Love Binder”, and we are in the process of updating ours now when we have some additional time on our hands.

2. Organize and Update, If Necessary, Your Legal Documents. In addition, there are certain legal documents that need to be organized and easily accessible to your family. Certainly, your wills, trust, powers of attorney, etc. and other legal documents should be updated, if necessary, and easily accessible to your family members. Second, all of your insurance (home, auto, life, health, and disability) documents should be organized and easily accessible as well. Finally, any other important legal documents related to your homes, your vehicles, and your investments need to be organized and easily accessible in the event of an emergency.

As we all are doing, it is important to continue social distancing as much as possible during this month in order to continue to “flatten the curve”. In the process of doing so, however, it’s a good time to organize the important financial and legal documents in our lives.  Of course, if things have changed in your life and you need to make changes to any of your estate planning documents, please feel free to call me or e-mail me, and I would be happy to assist you with these changes.

Finally, please join me in thanking our health care workers and civil servants who are on the front lines of fighting this pandemic. I know that, if we all do our part, we will get to the other side of this difficult time as quickly as possible.

Need help? Please call me today – 602.277.7000

Our firm has helped hundreds of families just like yours handle a wide variety of estate planning, business planning, probate, trust, 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.