Forget jewelry–here’s why an estate plan is the ultimate wedding gift
If you’re planning a wedding, chances are you’ve been pondering what to get your spouse as a wedding gift. Of course, you could go with the usual, a watch, a necklace, earrings. But what about something more meaningful? Here’s our hot take…are you ready? There’s no better wedding gift than an Estate Plan. Ok, you can throw in some diamonds too, no one’s going to complain about that. But seriously…it’s so easy to get caught up in all of the joyous parts of planning a wedding, but after the day comes and goes, you’re in it–the reality of life and marriage. Having an estate plan ensures that your loved one is cared for if, God forbid, anything should happen to you. You can also use your estate plan to help them from beyond by pre-managing and planning the difficult and sometimes painful decisions. It’s the ultimate final act of love. We’re not crying–you are 😭!
Ok, all the Romeo & Juliet vibes aside, estate planning should already be on your wedding planning checklist. Yes, even if you’re not a billionaire! As bougie as it sounds, an estate plan is just a plan for what happens to everything you’re personally responsible for in the event of your death or incapacitation.
There are two different types of estate plans–wills and trusts. If you don’t know which one is right for you, check out this deep dive we did with some help from our friends at LegalZoom.
Everything an Estate Plan Covers
distribution of assets and dependants
You know the old, “What’s mine is yours” adage about marriage. Well, as it turns out that’s not necessarily legally binding solely through a marriage license. In the event of your death, you’ll want to make sure that whatever assets you want to go to your spouse actually end up with them, (i.e. real estate, bank accounts, personal property, etc.). If you have children or plan on having children you’ll also want to list a guardian for them in your estate plan. Otherwise, it will be left up to the state to decide guardianship, which can cause a lot of undue drama and stress on your already grieving family.
living will
Chances are you’ve talked about this with your soon-to-be spouse before, but remember, if it’s not in writing, it’s not official. In your estate plan, you can document exactly who you want to be in charge of making medical decisions on your behalf and you can make your wishes known to make those hard decisions a little easier on your spouse.
funeral arrangements
We know it’s a difficult conversation to have, but planning your funeral can lift a huge burden from the shoulders of your loved ones in the event of your death. You can go all out and purchase a plot, pick out a coffin, etc. or it can be as simple as outlining the where and how of it all.
Now, all that’s left is to check out the plans and figure out which is best for you and your growing family. Trust us when we say, you’ll feel an instant weight lifted once you have your estate plan in place–plus it’s the ultimate accomplishment in adulting 💅.
Follow @LegalZoom on IG for even more estate planning tips and a few good laughs.
We partnered with LegalZoom to bring you the ultimate act of true love. As always, thanks for supporting our sponsors!
- Estate Plan Bundles: LegalZoom