Zivkovic Wills and Estates

Let me help you overcome some of the most common excuses for not having your will done without delay:

I don’t like thinking about my death

That’s understandable. Let me do the large part of that thinking for you. I will consider the scenarios that should be considered. I will guide you through the decisions you need to make. I will show you how to get organized.

In my opinion, estate planning should be reasonable. After all, we cannot gaze into the crystal ball and predict everything about the future. We don’t want to try to control everything. On the other hand, we don’t want to leave everything to chance, and leave our loved ones not knowing what to do or where to begin after our death.

I’m too busy for this

You mean you don’t have a lot of time for getting a will done? You think that the process will be long and that you won’t know what kind of decisions to make.

Let me suggest to you that you probably already know the answers to most questions that you will need to answer while making a will. It’s all about your life and about your property and about your family. My job is to ask you all the questions and your job is to answer them as it pertains to you. That’s all.

I can’t afford to do this

You mean you can’t afford to pay for the preparation of your will? Why do you think that? I’ve had clients on a very limited budget who were happy to pay for my service. And besides, the worry that you have because you don’t have a will, or don’t have an up-to-date will, or haven’t put your affairs in order is a lot more burdensome then the professional fee that I would charge. This is my job, so let me help you. And if you really need help for paying my fee, we can agree to a payment in installments.

I don’t care what happens after my death

By this you mean you don’t care if your family members are in complete confusion after your death?

If you leave nobody in charge, that means everybody will be doing what they see fit. Whoever has a key to your home will come and help themselves to your belongings. Why not? You certainly will not need those things any more – they say. One family member will want to move into your home to live there. Another family member wants it sold. Who decides? Who has the right and power to distribute your belongings and property? Your bank doesn’t know what to do because different people are approaching them and claiming the right to take money from your account. Soon everyone is repeating your name and associating your family with nightmarish stories. Your neighbours are witnessing the family squabbles and waving their heads…

OK I know you didn’t think that far when you said you didn’t care what happened after your death. Do you still feel the same way? I know you don’t. Please call me and make the first step towards avoiding the above disaster scenario.

I don’t have any outrageous wishes, so why should I have a will done?

You must be confused by the Hollywood or sensational estate squabbles. In the novel “The Testament” by John Grisham, the billionaire protagonist keeps having his will done, then redone, then redone again. After signing his final will in which he disinherits almost all of his children, he gets up and jumps out the window of the tall office building owned by his corporation.

Let me suggest to you that this is not the way wills are made in real life. Wills are not supposed to be documents used to harass or bully your family members after your death. Of course you don’t have any outrageous wishes. As you shouldn’t. Wills are useful documents, prudent and well-thought out. They are not supposed to shock, attract bad publicity or start family disputes.

I don’t own much, rich people need wills, I don’t

Nothing could be further from the truth. Do you have a family or loved ones that will survive you? Then you need a will and would greatly benefit from putting your affairs in order.

Making a will is at the bottom of my list

I can see that you are funny. I appreciate humour too. As you know, we never get to the bottom of our to-do lists, so we might as well call it what it is: you decided that you don’t need a will. Let me invite you to keep reading my website. I think you will find sufficient reason to prioritize the making of your will. Even easier, skip the prioritizing and start doing by giving me a call today.

I plan to have my will done, just not yet

Many people are in this category. They wait for some indication or urgency to happen before they even begin estate planning. Let me tell you why you shouldn’t do this: first of all if you get sick or diagnosed with a deadly disease, you will not be in an ideal position to have your will prepared. When we are under stress, we don’t make the most prudent and reasonable decisions. You will be placing too much of a burden on yourself to do estate planning under such circumstances. I suggest you do it while healthy and happy and when death appears remote. Also when you make an estate plan, it is much easier to review it from time to time and update what needs to be done, than to start from scratch.