Legal Matters
Brought to you by: Community Partner Bradford & Holliman, www.bradfordholliman.com
What is a Legal Matters article doing discussing date nights to enrich your marriage? Legal matters such as estate plans are a spectacular way of letting each other know now just how important your marriage is by making sure you are on the same page. Each spouse should be ready to manage family affairs if the other is not there. Estate lawyers often talk about the peace of mind that a current estate plan provides clients. That estate plan can also provide a long-term sense of love and caring long after one of you is gone.
Plan a date night to discuss each of your individual thoughts on your estate plans (you do at least have wills, don’t you?), beneficiaries on IRAs, pensions, life insurance, and financial situations of elderly family members. You may be surprised by the assumptions each of you hold. Date night without kids in tow is a great time to talk about best guardians for any minor children. With 50% of children impacted by a divorce, the specifics of divorce decrees are a major factor in setting up estate plans. If you have adult children who are in stressful marriages or who do not manage finances well, you may want to talk about how your estate plan could be structured to prevent your child from losing inheritances in a bitter divorce or how to keep your adult child from misusing any future inheritance.
If one spouse exclusively manages family finances, make the discussion for one date night about how finances are managed and who the key contacts are – financial advisors, accountants, and even personnel contacts at employers. A one-month swap of day-to-day financial duties can be eye-opening for the spouse who does not usually manage it. Such as swap often increases the appreciation for the spouse who manages it.
In fact, these discussions could take several date nights even beyond February. These conversations are key to have even before you call your estate planning attorney. An experienced estate planning attorney can provide options you may not know about such as spendthrift trusts and can also make sure that your estate plan aligns with current Alabama estate laws. Add a little candlelight and tasty food, and your date nights can enrich your marriage and give you both peace of mind for a long time.
-Melanie B. Holliman, JD
Partner at Bradford & Holliman, LLC
205-663-0281
No representation is made that the quality of the legal service to be performed is greater than the quality of service performed by other lawyers.
