Fall is here, unfortunately or fortunately

I love the fall - the colors, the bonfires, football ... But, I hate what follows here in Minnesota - the snowy winter!  However, fall is a great time to do some cleaning and to prepare for the winter to come.  It is also a great time to start getting your legal documents in order.  I used to find that September was a slow month for clients in this area - people were trying to get back in to the swing of things from a fun filled summer.  I am now finding that people want to meet to get things done before the end of the year.

Do a check - do you have a Health Care Directive?  Without one, your family may be forced to go to court to make decisions on your behalf.  Do you have a Power of Attorney?  Again, you may have to go to court to get control and protect your loved one's financial assets.  Do you have a will?  You may not need one, but having an attorney review your assets will help to protect your loved ones if you should pass away unexpectedly,  Did you know that if your spouse is not in title with you on your home, that they may not get possession of it when you pass away - yes, even if they are your spouse!

Consulting with someone to just do a check doesn't need to be hard - it is just like preparing for winter, taken in small steps.  If the snowblower is ready to go; if you have the emergency snow kit in the car; if you have good tires on the car; if you have that extra pair of mittens because we always seem to lose just one mitten in the pair - winter doesn't have to be that difficult.  Making sure you have everything organized for your loved ones helps them to get through the process of handling financial and legal matters while dealing with their own change of season, if something should happen to you.