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 Estill County Extension Office hosted an Estate Planning Basics workshop on March 27, 2025. At least 11 consumers participated in the workshop. The program educated participants on a few basic principles of estate planning, including how to establish goals for their estate and what information they need to gather as they begin the estate planning process. In a survey following the class, 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% planned to locate and organize their important documents, in addition to 100% planning to use the provided tools to begin estate planning because of participating in the program. One participant stated, “I planned to meet with a professional so that I can get started on this right away.”