Estate Planning For the Faithful
By Barry Zimmer on December 18th, 2014 in Estate Planning, Wills & Trusts
Questions of life, death, and mortality are always lurking behind the scenes whenever you develop your estate plan. For many people, these questions naturally give rise to reflections on religious principles and personal values. Your estate plan should be one that supports your particular values. There are many issues you’ll need to think about as you develop your estate plan, and you’ll want to make sure that you carefully review each part of your plan and judge it in the light of your own desires and beliefs.
1. Medical Treatment
The types of medical care you receive if you become incapacitated often have religious implications. Speak to your estate planning lawyer about the types of medical care you do or do not wish to receive. Once your attorney knows your medical concerns, you can include these concerns in your advance medical directives.
2. Values
Many people want to ensure that their children, grandchildren, and other family members pursue lives of faith and values. However, questions of inheritances are often not the best way to encourage family members to adopt religious principles or live their lives in accordance with your values. While you may place restrictions on the kinds of inheritances you leave, you cannot make restrictions that would violate law or public policy. If leaving inheritances based on conditions of values is important to you, you may consider creating a trust or leave property to charitable organization that supports your values.
If you have additional concerns, please contact us at 513.721.1513 so we can address your specific questions.