There are some conversations in life that are easy to put off. Estate planning is one of them. No one likes thinking about mortality. No one wants to imagine the worst-case scenario. We tell ourselves we’ll get to it later — after the next vacation, after work slows down, after the kids are older, after the holidays. Life has a way of reminding us that "later" is never guaranteed. If you are seeing yourself in this... please do not stop reading. This is a sign telling you to read on.
Over the years, both personally and professionally, I’ve witnessed firsthand the enormous difference a trust can make for a family during some of the hardest moments of their lives.
And I want to share two stories with you.
A Deeply Personal Lesson
11 years ago, my brother, Peter, died tragically in a car accident.
He was 47 years old, responsible, hard working, successful, and an incredibly devoted father who loved his family. He had actually created a trust years earlier with his first wife. But after their divorce, that trust was no longer valid, and like so many people, he simply hadn’t gotten around to creating a new one. Literally the week before he died he and I were having a conversation about his trust. See, my Mom had just died (ugh), and we were settling her estate. He shared with me he needed to redo his trust and we would just use the same lawyer and do it at the same time.
He was healthy. Active. Busy living life. None of us imagined his time would come so suddenly. But it did.
Because there was no trust in place, his entire estate had to go through probate. If you’ve never experienced probate firsthand, I can tell you this: it was brutal. It took an incredibly long time. It was emotionally exhausting for the family and it was incredibly expensive. At a time when we should have been grieving and supporting one another, we were tangled in court procedures, paperwork, delays, and legal expenses. It added stress to an already heartbreaking situation. And it’s something I would never want another family to endure if it can be avoided.
The Clients Who Got a Second Chance to Prepare
A few years ago, we were working with a couple preparing to sell their home. They were younger than us. Healthy. Active. The kind of people who seemed like they had decades ahead of them. But they had been given a devastating terminal cancer diagnosis. Their lives were about to dramatically change. Selling the house was an unfortunate reality.
As we sat down to sign the paperwork to list their home, the topic of estate planning came up — and we discovered they did not have a trust in place. Thankfully, there was still time. We were able to connect them with trusted professionals, help them get a trust established, place the home into the trust properly, and move forward with the sale.
When the home sold, the surviving spouse was able to move forward into a new chapter of life with far more peace of mind, clarity, and protection than would have otherwise been possible. In the middle of unimaginable grief, they were spared the added burden of probate complications. That matters.
You Are Never “Too Young”
One of the biggest misconceptions people have about trusts and estate planning is that it’s something you do later in life. But the truth is: You are never too young to get your affairs in order. Life is unpredictable. None of us know what tomorrow brings. Creating a trust isn’t about expecting something bad to happen. It’s about protecting the people you love if it does.
It’s one of the most caring, responsible things you can do for your family.
And for homeowners especially, making sure your property is properly titled in your trust is just as important as creating the trust itself. Many people don’t realize that simply having trust documents drafted is not enough — your home actually needs to be transferred into the trust. That small step can make an enormous difference later.
Don’t Wait for a Crisis
I know these conversations can feel uncomfortable. But avoiding them doesn’t protect your family. Planning does. If you’ve been thinking about creating a trust, updating an old one, or making sure your home is properly held in trust, I would love to help guide you in the right direction.
Over the years, I’ve built tremendous resources and relationships with experienced estate planning attorneys who help families navigate this process with care and compassion. You do not have to figure it out alone. And you don’t have to wait for a crisis to take action. If this is something you’ve been putting off, let this be your sign to start the conversation today.
Your future self — and your family — will thank you for it.
