You don't need to resolve your entire estate plan in one evening. Start with an hour. First 10 minutes: Who's in charge? Identify the people named to handle financial, medical, estate, and trust matters. Next 10 minutes: Where is everything? Explain where important documents and records are located and how the appropriate person can access them.

When David’s father passed away, the family expected paperwork. They expected court forms. They expected some fees. They expected a waiting period.

What they did not expect was the emotional strain, the family tension, the frozen bank accounts, the attorney bills that continued for months, and the quiet resentment that grew between siblings.