Neil R. Vestermark Associate Attorney


cycle, unprecedented restrictions on travel, schools, and businesses. Tese changes have left many of us thinking, “What is going to happen


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next?” Tis time of reflection and prayer also leads us to begin thinking of preparation for the future and how we can best prepare for the curves ahead. One of those methods of preparing includes a well-drafted and thought-out estate plan.


One my favorite toys as a child was a Playskool train. Nothing made going to the doctor or dentist more fun as a kid than knowing I would have the opportunity to play with toys while I waited! Part of the fun was creating different designs for how to lay the tracks, knowing that each design, though different, still got the train from start to finish.


any of us can probably agree, 2020 has been a year of major events: a global pandemic, an important election


Te same can be said for ensuring you have a proper estate plan. Just like a train, your estate planning documents need a proper track in order to run smoothly and go where you want them to go. Tink of each document as a train car being pulled by the locomotive with the engineer driving the train. Often times, incomplete or poorly planned estate documents can cause frustration for the agents, executors and family members alike.


Tere are three basic documents that can get you on “track” (pun intended) to make sure your ride in life is as smooth as possible.


FINANCIAL POWER OF ATTORNEY Tis document is the most important, in my opinion, because it directly affects you while living. A Financial Power of Attorney gives you the ability to designate an agent to “step into your shoes” and be the conductor of your train: making sure bills are paid, your finances are taken care of, and that you are making all the “stops,” should you be incapacitated for any reason. Te agent that you designate should be someone who shares the


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