• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • WHO WE ARE
    • About Our Firm
    • Attorney and Staff Profiles
    • News and Events
  • Areas We Serve
    • Essex County, MA
      • Andover
      • Beverly
      • North Andover
    • Hillsborough County, NH
      • Manchester
      • Nashua
    • Middlesex County, MA
      • Concord
      • Lexington
      • Wakefield
      • Winchester
      • Woburn
    • Rockingham County, NH
      • Exeter
      • Londonderry
      • Salem
  • Services
    • Asset & Business Planning
    • Elder Law & Medicaid Services
    • Estate And Gift Tax Figures
    • Family-Owned Businesses & Farms
    • Legacy Planning Services
    • LGBTQ Estate Planning
    • Loss Of A Loved One
    • Pet Planning
    • Power Of Attorney
    • Probate and Trust Administration
    • SECURE Act
    • Special Needs Planning
    • Young Families
  • Elder Law
    • Coping with Alzheimer’s
    • Hospice Care
    • Medicaid Planning
    • Nursing Home Planning
  • Resources
    • Elder Law
      • Elder Law & Medicaid Definitions
      • Elder law reports
      • Elder Law Resources
        • Elder Law Resources – Londonderry, New Hampshire
        • Elder Law Resources North Andover, Massachusetts
        • Nashua, New Hampshire Elder Law Resources
        • Woburn, MA Elder Law Resources
    • Estate Planning
      • Estate Planning Articles
      • Estate and Gift Tax Figures
      • Estate Planning Checkup
      • Estate Planning Definitions
      • Estate Planning Reports
        • Advanced Estate Planning
        • Basic Estate Planning
        • Estate Planning for Niches
        • Trust Administration
      • Incapacity Planning Definitions
      • Is Your Estate Plan Outdated?
      • Top 10 Estate and Legacy Planning Techniques
    • Free Estate Planning Worksheet
    • Frequently Asked Questions
      • Asset Protection Planning
      • Business Planning
      • Charitable Gifting
      • Estate Planning
      • Elder Law
      • Frequently Asked Questions for Families Without an Estate Plan
      • Incapacity Planning
      • Legacy Wealth Planning
      • LGBTQ Estate Planning
      • Medicaid Planning
      • Trust Administration & Probate
      • Wills and Trusts
    • Medicaid Calculator
    • Newsletters
    • Presentations
    • Probate and Trust Administration
      • Bereavement Resources
      • How to Know if You Need Extra Help With Your Grieving
      • Loss Of A Loved One
      • Probate Resources
        • Nashua, New Hampshire Probate Resources
        • Probate Resources – Londonderry, New Hampshire
        • Probate Resources – North Andover, MA
        • Probate Resources – Wakefield, Massachusetts
        • Woburn, MA Probate Resources
      • The Mourner’s Bill of Rights
      • Things You Need To Do When a Loved One Passes Away With a Trust
      • Things You Need To Do When a Loved One Passes Away With a Will
      • Trust Administration & Probate Definitions
    • Published Books
  • Seminars
    • Live Seminars
    • Online Seminars
  • Videos
  • Contact Us
  • Blog
  • Reviews
    • Our Reviews
    • Review Us

DeBruyckere Law Offices, PC

Serving Southern New Hampshire & Essex Country, Massachussetts

Call us today(603) 894-4141

(978) 969-0331

Online Seminars
Attend Free Seminar
Home » General » Jump Start Your Estate Plan

Jump Start Your Estate Plan

October 20, 2014General

Like with many things in life, sometimes the most difficult aspect of estate planning is simply getting started. For years, we’ve encouraged our clients to consider their biggest life fears. Are they worried about not leaving enough for loved ones? Maybe they’re concerned about who will care for their minor children should an accident or illness cut their own lives short? Even then, it can be a bit challenging trying to get your mind around these important “what if” scenarios. With that in mind, we thought we’d provide a few jumping off points that will encourage and inspire anyone to get the estate plan ball rolling.

Take an Honest Look at Your Truth

estate planning in beverly ma

Your truth, as it pertains to estate planning is being honest with yourself about your assets and liabilities. If you’re on the verge of bankruptcy, you have to face it and find a solution so that it’s not weighing you down ten years from now. Your financial planner or accountant can provide financial guidance and of course, your estate planning lawyer is always a great place to start. Once you’ve faced the financial aspects, the rest of it isn’t so overwhelming.

Cover Your Little Ones

This is probably the one thing that causes a lot of lost sleep across the nation each night. Put into place guardians for your minor children. Don’t assume they’ll “just go to my mom’s or my wife’s parents’” That may not always happen, at least not right away. Establish a guardianship with specifics on who will raise your children should something happen to you and your spouse. It’s a powerful sense of accomplishment knowing they’re going to be cared for. Once that’s in place, you’ll feel better about going into the details with trusts, your educational choices, financial considerations, etc.

Start at the Beginning of Your Estate Plan

Let’s face it, you very well may be on the verge of great things, millions of dollars in investments and enough life insurance to support ten families in your absence, but unless you’ve not put into place a few basic documents, you have no foundation. With no foundation, your family (or ten families) has an uncertain future. You can eliminate that with a last will and testament, any necessary trusts and at least medical and financial powers of attorney. Once you have the basics down, the rest has a way of falling into place because you’re no longer focused on those basics and can consider “big picture” truths.

Life Insurance for the Living

No one wants to think about insurance and certainly not life insurance, right? Why annihilate a perfectly good Saturday afternoon with a lawyer, hashing out financial considerations for insurance policies? Again, it goes back to feeling empowered. It’s just one more way you’ve covered the bases for your family should anything happen to you. And relax – it’s not going to take the entire afternoon.

Ultimately, small steps are best for many of our clients. And that’s OK. We’re all for the end results and once you get started, you’ll see the same advantages. Contact our estate planning lawyers today to learn more about estate planning.

  • Author
  • Recent Posts
Daniel DeBruyckere
Daniel DeBruyckere
Attorney Daniel A. DeBruyckere has been practicing law in New Hampshire and Massachusetts since 1998, and has helped hundreds of clients with their estate planning and elder care issues. He is very well respected in the area of estate planning, probate, trust administration, elder law issues, and business planning.
Daniel DeBruyckere
Latest posts by Daniel DeBruyckere (see all)
  • Do I Need an Attorney to Administer a Trust? - January 26, 2023
  • How Using a Trust Can Protect a Valuable Inheritance - January 24, 2023
  • What Seniors Need to Know to Protect Assets - January 19, 2023

Other Articles You May Find Useful

AdobeStock 103251926 150x150
Planning for Incapacity in Massachusetts
North Andover estate planning attorneys
SSI and SSDI – Understanding the Difference
North Andover asset protection attorneys
Protecting Your Assets from the High Cost of Nursing Home Care
New Hampshire estate planning attorney
Where Does Your City Rank among America’s Healthiest Cities?
Holiday Scams and How To Avoid Them
Holiday Scams and How to Avoid Becoming a Victim
Contest a Will
How to Contest a Will in New Hampshire

Download our free Estate Planning Worksheet

There's a lot that goes into setting up a comprehensive estate plan, but with our FREE worksheet, you'll be one step closer to getting yourself and your family on the path to a secure and happy future.
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Linkdin
  • Youtube
  • Instagram

Blog Subscribe

"*" indicates required fields

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Testimonials

DeBruyckere Law Offices, PC footer

Connect with Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Linkdin
  • Youtube
  • Instagram
footer-logo

© 2023 DeBruyckere Law Offices
All Right Reseved.

Attorney Advertisement

© 2023 American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys, Inc.