Regardless of your net worth, estate planning will protect and help ensure that your personal and financial goals are realized after death. Unfortunately, many people fail to properly plan for the transfer of their possessions and property at the time of death. Taking the right steps ahead of time makes it easier for those settling your estate, which saves them time, energy, and money. Developing an estate plan helps ensure your property is distributed according to your wishes, providing your executor and legal team with the information they need.

To address this need, the Washington County Agriculture and Natural Resources Agent and Family and Consumer Sciences Agent partnered to hold an Estate Planning class series on January 22, 23, and 28, 2025.  Forty-four consumers participated in the series. Transferring Cherished Possessions was the first class, which focused on distributing non-titled property, working with loved ones to divide cherished keepsakes, and tips for communicating without conflict.  The second class was Estate Planning 101, which included the key steps to estate planning and many tools to help participants get started.  Agricultural Estate Planning was the final class in the series and it described how to transition the family farm, assembling your team, and tips to have important family conversations.  

In surveys following the classes, 100% of respondents indicated they knew how to describe the importance of estate planning; 100% could list three key steps of estate planning; and 100% could identify one goal for their estate plan.  Additionally, 100% of respondents planned to locate and organize their important documents; 100% planned to use the provided tools to begin estate planning as a result of participating in the program; and 100% planned to start the conversation of estate planning with their family.  When asked what participants will take away from the program series, some of the responses included:

• "We are planning our wills and estate distribution and are already in the middle of rites process with our dad. This information provides excellent information and guidance."
• "The magnitude of an estate plan and how much is involved legally!  I will start a letter of last instruction and update my will."
• "How to make it easier for our children to do this easily and to make the best decisions and avoid unnecessary expenses."
• "Getting my life organized and documented; helping out my spouse to get our life's journey to someone trusting and helpful; also to help my father to get his life planned before passing."
• "Things are mostly together, but haven't done any 'digital' organizing.  Happy to know I have made a good start.  Great to have a tool to help with further organizing."
• "Do the planning now!  Don't put it off!"
• "Really need to communicate with the family and utilize professionals to help facilitate a plan.  Review the plan annually.  Great program all three sessions!"
• "We are in the middle of our dad's estate planning and in the early stages of planning our own estate transition.  Great resources and advice!"

The estate planning series successfully provided needed resources to the community.