Pocatello Estate Planning and a Letter of Instructions

While the main purpose of this website is to provide you with legal information concerning how to properly complete your Pocatello estate planning, and keep it updated so that it will provide you with the protections you and your family and loved ones may need, we also try to provide other important information as well. The use of a letter of instructions with your Pocatello estate plan can provide a number of benefits to you and your family after you pass away. For this reason, we almost always recommend that our clients make use of a letter of instructions.

Our premier Pocatello estate planning firm has a team of attorneys that work together to help each individual client meet their specific needs. Rather than using the same estate planning documents for every client, we learn the needs our specific clients have individually. We then customize the estate plan with the documents that are needed to help each client the most. Our team includes partners Randy Budge and Lane Erickson and attorneys Nate Palmer and Dave Bagley. Each of the attorneys on our team have received the highest ratings possible from previous clients concerning their knowledge, skill, and most important their ability to assist our clients with their estate planning.

We are confident that we can help you with your estate planning to. One of the things for you to think about when you are completing your estate planning is the use of a letter of instructions. Below is a list of the ways that a letter of instructions can assist your family after you have passed away.

While many people try to use their last will and testament as a way of providing a final goodbye or listing the specific funeral arrangements or plans that they would like to have for themselves, this is not the best way to accomplish this goal. The reason for this is that often, family members do not find the last will and testament until sometime after a loved one has passed away. If you use your last will and testament as a way of listing specifically what you want involved in your funeral services, it may be too late. Rather, the use of a letter of instructions is a better way to communicate your wishes to your family and loved one.

The letter of instructions can be kept anywhere, either with or away from your estate planning documents. Additionally, a letter of instructions about your funeral services usually doesn’t contain much personal or private information that you may want to keep confidential until after you have passed away. This sort of information can still be kept in your last will and testament. However, the letter of instructions can provide your family with immediate guidance and direction about the specific things that you would like.

More importantly, we have found that a letter of instructions is the best way for a person to leave a final goodbye to their family and loved ones. This was illustrated recently for me when I attended a funeral for someone I was close to. This person had used a letter of instructions and had left a specific and individual statement and goodbye to each of her children as well as two other family members and loved ones. The family chose to read portions of the letter of instructions during the funeral services. Everyone present found this to be an uplifting and wonderful part of the funeral services. More importantly, the family will always treasure that letter that was left to them.

In addition to the above, a letter of instruction is also a perfect place to make a listing of all the financial information, including all digital assets, that an individual has. This would include the location and numbers for bank accounts, insurance policies, credit cards, Investments, and other assets. Additionally, this letter can include information to access email and social media accounts, and also information about online accounts such as PayPal, Venmo, and other digital or online payment options that currently exist.

In most instances family members have to scour their loved one’s home in search of gathering this kind of information. Think about how simple this process would be if you pull this information together and put it in your letter of instructions for your family to use after your death. In every instance where a letter of instructions has included this information, the job of the family in taking care of your assets, money, and other property after you pass away is greatly simplified.

An additional and often overlooked purpose of a letter of instructions is to provide arrangements for your pets that you may be leaving behind. Many people have close relationships with pets. When this exists, a person’s mind can be put at ease to a great extent if they provide a letter in their letter of instructions information about their pets, and who they would like their pets to be taken care by. Again, it is possible for this information to be put in a last will and testament. The problem is, as was mentioned above, if family members do not immediately look at the last will and testament and they may not know who you want to take care of your pets. When this happens, your family may make other arrangements that completely disregard your instructions because they simply didn’t know about them at the time the arrangements were made.

When it comes to pets and your letter of instruction you can be as specific as you would like. You can name the individuals you would like your pet to go to. You can also talk about these specific Arrangements that you feel your pets may need in order to thrive. You have the freedom and the ability to leave any instructions that you choose about your pets.

Our experienced Estate Planning team of attorneys can help you and your family with your Idaho estate plan or with your probate needs. Whether you are seeking your own customized Estate Plan or are in need of a Probate for a loved one who has passed, we are available to discuss your options and answer your questions at an initial consultation. Call us toll free at 877.232.6101 or 208.232.6101 for a consultation with the Racine Olson team. You can also email us directly at racine@racinelaw.net. We will answer your questions and will help you solve your Idaho Estate Planning and Probate problems.