Lorain County Moms.com:  Moms and dads plan for family trips, college and weddings, but life sometimes throws a curve called autism.

And it’s hitting more and more families. An average of one in every 110 children in the United States has an autism spectrum disorder.

These neurodevelopmental disorders can make communication and social interaction difficult, sometimes impossible, for those who struggle with them.

Autism poses yet another challenge for parents, though, one that requires a different set of experts.  Parents must pencil out how they will pay for everything that is needed sometimes for a child’s lifetime.

WealthCounsel: Good article summing up the different stages people go through in their life and the role estate planning plays in each of these stages to protect wealth:

“Life is transition.  Every day there is some experience that causes us to stop and think about financial and legal alternatives including all their ramifications.  Having a “transition team” consisting of a trusted financial advisor, certified public account and legal professional can make life’s transitions less complex and overall more rewarding.”

Wills, Trusts & Estates Prof Blog:  Many people have the same regrets when it comes to their life decisions. Below are the five most common regrets people make on their deathbeds according to Bronnie Ware, a woman who cared for the dying for many years…

Investopedia:  The article provides a list of six estate planning documents everybody should have and gives a general description of each.  For a more in-depth analysis and description of each of these documents view the KEYTLaw estate planning library.

Forbes:  “Demand for estate planning has actually been declining for years.  People are reluctant to pay fees for work that does not currently benefit them.  They don’t see estate planning as a productive use of their funds….People still need to plan their estate, to make sure their property goes to the persons they want it to go to, and to avoid probate on succession to their property….And people need the assistance of an estate planning attorney in planning their estate. Poorly-drawn, ambiguous documents can spark litigation, and fail the testator’s purpose. But the days of carte blanche fees paid to estate planning attorneys are passing away.”

Perhaps the article fails to mention other possibilities surrounding the decrease in demand for Estate Planning such as uncertainty in Estate and Gift Tax Law.

So many people today are using Facebook and Twitter to stay in touch with friends and family.  Have you considered what happens to your social medial accounts when you die?  A recent article in Wealth Counsel discussed how this information can be accessed by your loved ones after you die. 

As an estate planning lawyer our job is to preserve not just our clients’ financial wealth, but their legacy as well. That often means going beyond financial assets covered by “traditional” estate planning methods, and delving deep into human assets such as family values, traditions, and memories. 

More and more people are using social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook to record important memories such as the birth of a baby, a child’s graduation, a wedding and so much more.  We see commentary not just from the owner of the social media account, but also from friends and family as well.  Social media accounts serve as a cache for photos and videos – all of which incredibly valuable to your clients family.