Really? “It wasn’t nearly as bad as I thought it was going to be!”

That is a common phrase I hear from clients after they sign their Will who were initially apprehensive about meeting with me. It is very common for people to be scared about thinking of death or planning for it. In fact, people spend so much energy worrying about thinking about their Will that they delay it for as long as possible. And for some people, they delay it until it is too late and never get it done. I find that it takes a lot more energy to think about starting the estate planning process then actually getting it done.

Setting up a Will is a very straight forward process. I get together with my clients, and ask them a series of questions. I do not expect clients to have all of the “answers” prior to meeting me because it is my job to know the right questions to ask to elicit the information I need to set things up. After that meeting, I prepare the paperwork for the client to review. Then we set up a meeting for the client to sign the Will. And that’s it. It truly is that simple. This is the point where I hear the phrase “it wasn’t nearly as bad as I thought it was going to be”, because it wasn’t.

Clients sometimes build up this process to something way bigger than it actually is and it takes up a lot of unnecessary energy. Once they get everything in place, people feel relieved and find that they can free themselves up from worrying about dying to focusing on how they want to live. So here is the takeaway: Just get it done already! It’s not as bad as you think.

PETER’S BIO

Peter A. Moustakis graduated from New England Law | Boston where he attended the night program in order to work as a paralegal during the day. While attending law school, he was awarded the honor of New England Scholar and achieved the Cali Excellence for the Future Award for his excellence in Estate Planning. Peter has also contributed to two Family Law publications.

Peter lives in Amherst, NH with his wife and twin girls. He enjoys volunteering in his local community, woodworking and various equine activities. He is supported by his loving wife and family. Peter truly appreciates having his dream job and enjoys going to work every day.