I wish I could make these questions easier to ask, and easier to answer.

I can’t do that. But I can prompt you, encourage you, remind you, and make some suggestions. I can invite you to ask and answer them this summer.

When the air is still, in a quiet moment, sipping coffee on a lazy morning, lemonade by the backyard pool, or tea in your aunt’s kitchen… when everything is slower, everyone’s relaxed, and you finally have a few moments with your parents, your partner, or even alone with a notebook and pen…

…take these moments as invitations to ask and answer the hard estate-planning questions.

Estate planning always pushes people outside their comfort zone. There are sensitive questions that require personal answers. These essential conversations are usually best held face-to-face, with life moving slowly enough to reflect, listen, coax and discuss. Like during the summer, when family is around.

Hold these conversations in a quiet spot, where you can think and talk uninterrupted. The space should feel safe, solid, familiar. Some questions won’t get answered right away, and will need further exploration. Some questions will need to be asked more than once. That’s okay.

I’ve found these to be the toughest – but necessary – planning questions that all partners & families need to ask & answer:

1. What is acceptable and unacceptable when it comes to prolonging your life? We all have different ideas about life support and ‘do not resuscitate’ orders. Nobody will know what your wishes are, until you outline them clearly.
2. Who will raise your children if both parents, at once, become angels? What if you’re a single parent? How will the new guardian(s) find the money to suddenly take on the care of your child/children? Will your choice come as a surprise to anyone? Who needs to know?
3. Who will take care of your pets if they outlive you? Can the nominated care-taker accept and afford their care?
4. Have you acknowledged all your descendants or potential beneficiaries in your current will? What needs updating? What needs to change?
5. What if a total catastrophe occurs and several family members become angels at once? Have you named an enduring entity that can accept your gift in case no one else can?
6. What kind of change do you want to see in the world? Which organizations do you want to support with legacy giving?
7. Are there relationships you’re hesitant to disclose? What implication will your death have on all the people who know you, love you and depend on your support?
8. Do you have genetic material in the freezer? Where is it? What should happen to it after you’re gone?
9. How does your POA or executor access your online accounts? Is there a central list of all your usernames and passwords?

Your estate plan is only as good as the details you share, and it may be harder (or it may be easier), to share your answers with your team of professionals. Intrusive as some of these questions seem, they’re the backbone of thorough estate planning, preparation and protecting the loved ones you leave behind. It is our job to ask you: “Is there anything else we need to know?” It behooves you to add: “There’s something else you should know.”

These are all questions each person deserves to answer – for themselves. Your estate plan should optimize how you share your wealth, reflect and manifest your values.

And so, a gentle reminder: Wealth Management is MORE THAN Investment Management. There’s so much more to you than just your investments, which is why the professionals on your wealth management team ask you so many questions.

Do you have your answers?

With the Roadmap to Real Riches, you get a step-by-step program to build wealth and reduce money worries. Real riches mean real freedom: freedom to focus on what matters most to you… family, friendship, fun, impact. If you’d like to know more about the Roadmap to Real Riches, visit colleenoconnellcampbell.com – specifically the Real Riches Roadmap tab to apply for your Prosperity Discovery Session.

And if you have questions or a story to share that might be interesting for and/or benefit my readers, then please share it with us. It might just inspire a future blog or podcast.