A Quick Story About Why You Need the Estate Planning Checklist For People Going Through Divorce
Stepmother Kept Stepchildren From Seeing Dying Father
I still get upset thinking about this situation. A man called me a while back. His father was in hospice. He only had two or three more months to life.
The man wanted me to help him be able to see his father. I was shocked that he wasn’t being allowed to. However, his father had named his now wife as the agent in his Healthcare Power of Attorney.
The father had filed for divorce from the stepmother. But time went by, and the divorce process was never finished. Then the father’s health started declining rapidly. Before long, he was in hospice with only a short time to live.
The two children were never allowed to see their father before he died.
And then to add salt to the wound, the stepmom was the primary beneficiary on dad’s trust. And the father had added her as a joint owner to his checking account and house.
Maybe it was the romantic in him. He was hoping that he and his wife would reconcile. But that never happened.
And to add even more salt to the wound, the stepmom through away all of the family photographs and the father’s military medals.
The moral to the story is that you need to be proactive about your wishes. If you want to make sure your wishes are carried out, then you need to be deliberate about that.
We can help you. We have been helping people just like you for over 20 years. Attorney Paul Deloughery is rated Pre-Eminent by Martindale-Hubbell. He can help you avoid the 19 mistakes on the checklist.
So grab your copy of the Estate Planning Checklist for People Going Through Divorce. And then give us a call at 602-443-4888. We’re here to help.
