Tuesday 15 March 2016

Common Mistakes People Make at the Time of Estate Planning

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Estate planning is still at a developing stage in India. This is mainly due to the lack of awareness about the importance of estate planning. There is a common notion that only people, who have an abundance of assets can make a will, and their assets will be equally divided among their heirs. On the other hand, there are others, who procrastinate their estate planning thinking that they will do it at a later stage. In this post, we would discuss some common mistakes people that make when it comes to estate planning.

Mistakes People Usually Make

As mentioned earlier, a common notion people have that estate planning or making a will is only for wealthy families in India. While this may have been the case in the past, it isn’t necessarily same today. As India has been witnessing a thriving economy over the past decade, an increasing number of people are looking to make diversified investments and create wealth for themselves and their families. This is why estate planning is important so that assets can be transferred to your family seamlessly in the future.


Not Considering the “What If” Scenarios

People often feel that their financial situations are good enough, and don’t have to plan in advance. They commit the mistake of not considering different scenarios that may crop up in the future such as property disputes, health issues, bankruptcy and others. These circumstances are also a reminder that making a will is essential since your financial situation is likely to get affected by them. 

Putting it off for later

“Better late than never” is often used as a motivational phrase. Sadly, this does not hold true in the case of estate planning. Preparing for the worst case scenarios is essential for people, who have dependents. Keeping that in mind, it is recommended that you spend some time in evaluating your assets and then making a decision about how you want to allocate them equally with the minimum tax consequences. 

Overlooking Digital Asset Allocation

In today’s tech-savvy world, not just those from wealthy families in India, but others too have an online presence. Whether it’s in the form of your cloud-based bank accounts, or your digital assets, you should plan out well in advance to share the passwords and other important details with your spouse or your business partners, after you are gone.

Failing to Plan for Own Future
Planning for the future is not just limited to making a last will and testament to passing on the assets to your heirs. It is also equally important to ensure that in the case of any contingency, for example, health issues or otherwise so that your assets can be used for your own treatment and rehabilitation. This way there will not be any financial burden on your caregivers to pay back.

Last Few Words
Wealth creation shouldn’t be the only goal of property owners. Effectively managing wealth is an ideal way of ensuring future. Contingencies come up when you least expect them. Being prepared keeping an eye in the future is the best way to deal with it. This way, not only you take the financial burden off your family’s shoulders, but also get to decide how exactly you want your estate managed.
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