Update your will before traveling

By Patricia Nugent

When people plan trips, they create long checklists to take the stress out of the equation, covering every aspect of the getaway.

One of the items that should appear on the list that often doesn’t is considering your final wishes. What if something were to happen to you? Is your will up to date? Do you even have a will?

“At least once or twice a month, someone will call me in a panic because they are leaving the next day and need to get a will done,” says Attorney Margaret T. Karl, who has worked in elder law and estate law for more 10 years. “In fact, just this week a younger client was flying out the next day and desperately wanted to change the guardians they had named for their children in an existing will. Unfortunately, we couldn’t accommodate them. They waited too long to contact me.”

The downside is that if something were to happen to you, even if you had told people you wanted a change, if there is no legal documentation it wouldn’t stand up in court.

Bottom line? Put “getting a will in place” on top of your list a month or two before your trip so it won’t affect your enjoyment of it. Peace of mind is priceless.

Margaret T. Karl, Attorney at Law is located at 25800 North Depot Street, Suite 102, in Olmsted Falls. Call 440-782-5051 or visit OlmstedOhioLaw.com.

Dos and Donuts of Downsizing
Find out more about avoiding estate planning pitfalls at these informational seminars set for Thursday, April 27, 10:00-11:00 a.m., Pearl Crossing in Strongsville; Friday, April 28, 12:30-1:30 p.m., Village of the Falls in Olmsted Falls; Tuesday, May 2, 10:00-11:00 a.m., Independence Village in Avon Lake , and 5:30 p.m. at O’Neill Healthcare in North Ridgeville; Thursday, May 25, 10 a.m., Southwest General Hospital in Middleburg Heights, and 2 p.m., Wesleyan Meadows in Sheffield.