Everyone has a plan. Maybe you’ve decided to go Vanilla Sky, maybe freeze yourself and be thawed out in a hundred years. You’ll need a revival trust (you know, something to keep your record collection safe until then), some walking around money, and a few investments. Maybe a few things from the closet, just so you have something comfortable to wake up in. Maybe your stash of burgundy and cognac, which might age well and be worth quite a bit when you return to room temperature. You’ll also want someone to make sure the electric bill gets paid.

Maybe you have something that will continue to earn income even after you’re gone. Maybe you are an artist, a songwriter, or an author. Maybe you’ve decided to soldier on into the next millennium as a hologram. Or perhaps it’s your voice that is ageless and will carry on with the use of artificial intelligence. In all these cases, you’ll want a literary executor and likely a corporation or trust to own the rights to your music, books, images, likeness, or voice. Who knew you’d have to manage your next life appearances and projects?

Maybe you just want to take care of your family. Comedian Jack Benny left instruction in his will that his widow receive a long-stemmed red rose every day. Leona Helmsley left $12 million to a Maltese named Trouble. A Portuguese aristocrat left his vast fortune to 70 people chosen randomly out of a Lisbon phonebook. A California socialite and oil heiress left instructions that she be buried "in my lace nightgown... in my Ferrari, with the seat slanted comfortably."

Your plan isn’t really a plan until it’s in writing. Most folk put off planning, but it’s nothing to be afraid of. Wills, Trusts and other estate planning documents can be complicated, but they don’t have to be. Not everyone needs a literary executor or a trust. Maybe cryogenics, holograms, and grand gestures aren’t quite what you have in mind right now. If that’s the case, you can start with a simple plan to provide for your loved ones: a will, an advance medical directive or “living will,” and a power of attorney.

The last word is, and should be, yours. That’s where a good estate attorney can help. When you’re ready, let’s talk. Jonathan Wall has been advising clients with regard to estate planning for more than 25 years.

“Today my staff and I continue those services, coordinate document review, and offer remote signing and witnessing. The process is hassle-free and affordable, and it offers significant comfort to you to have your plans in place and to be able to update those plans quickly and easily as you desire.”

Initial consultations are available without charge, so contact us today! Referrals to cryogenic and holographic engineers are available upon request.