It’s often impossible to avoid having difficult conversations. With that in mind, many adults feel this type of conversation involves talking about estate planning with their parents. It’s understandable to need help with getting a parent’s estate in order in New Jersey. Here are a few tips to ease estate planning conversations with your parents.
Take notes during conversations
Estate planning sometimes involves going over a lot of assets. Considering that, it’s important to have a way to take notes as you talk about estate planning with your parents. By taking notes, you leave nothing to chance. Plus, having notes is helpful for parents who often change their minds.
Involve siblings if possible
There is often strength in numbers. If you don’t want to talk about your parent’s estate alone, involve your siblings. You could have a sibling who’s better equipped to lead these conversations with their parents.
Empathize with your parents
As hard as it is to talk about estate planning with your elderly parents, it’s also tough for them. The reality that your parents are aging can be difficult for them to accept. So, make sure you understand where your parents are coming from if a few difficult moments happen during estate planning discussions.
Set up roles
No parents want their children to bicker and fight. Unfortunately, without a clear understanding of their estate planning roles, such confusion often leads to heated debates between surviving family members. To avoid this problem, it’s good to set clear roles for each adult child to help with caring for their parents’ estates.
As you can see, there are many ways to approach estate planning discussions with your parents. What’s most important is that you start these conversations sooner rather than later.