We usually think about investing in terms of money. Retirement accounts. Stocks. Real estate. College funds. But here’s a different way to think about investing: how you spend your time and money shows your priorities.
Is there a difference between what you say matters and what your calendar and bank account reflect? Because priorities aren’t proven by intentions. They’re proven by decisions.
When it comes to estate planning, almost everyone agrees on the big ideas.
People tell us all the time:
“I don’t want to leave a mess for my family.”
“I want things to be easy if something happens to me.”
“My kids come first.”
“Protecting my family is really important.”
These aren’t unusual statements. They’re nearly universal. And yet, more than 70% of adults have no estate plan at all. Not a Will, Trust, Powers of Attorney, nothing.
So the question becomes: If protecting your family matters . . . what’s stopping you from acting like it?
After decades of helping families at Burch Law, we’ve heard many reasons and excuses for delaying estate planning:
“I just haven’t had time.”
“We’re going to shop around first.”
“We’ll do something temporary online.”
“We’ll get to it later.”
“Money’s tight right now.”
And to be fair, life is busy. Budgets are real. Competing priorities exist.
But here’s the uncomfortable truth: most people who delay estate planning are still spending time and money elsewhere.
A big vacation.
Streaming subscriptions.
Home upgrades.
Dining out.
None of these things are wrong. They all add joy, comfort, or convenience. But they do raise an important question: Are those investments more important than protecting your family when you’re gone?
Because estate planning isn’t about paperwork. It’s about what happens to the people you love when you can no longer help them yourself.
When people hesitate about the cost of an estate plan, they often view it as just another bill.
The better way to think about estate planning is an investment in:
- Your family’s financial stability
- Your children’s protection
- Your wishes being followed
- Avoiding court delays and legal battles
- Reducing stress during an already painful time
And perhaps most importantly: It’s an investment in the story you leave behind. Because when someone dies without a plan, the story their family experiences is rarely peaceful.
Instead, it often sounds like:
“We didn’t know what they wanted.”
“We couldn’t access the accounts.”
“We had to go to court.”
“It took months . . . or years.”
“We argued about what Mom would have wanted.”
That becomes part of their legacy—whether they intended it or not.
At our firm, we don’t just see the people who plan. We also see the families who are left behind when someone didn’t. Our pipeline is full of people who meant to do this . . . and then life got busy. Sadly, we also help many families clean up the legal and emotional mess when someone waited too long.
Not long ago, we helped a family after their father passed away in his early sixties. He was the kind of person everyone described as responsible and loving. He had always told his family he planned to get his estate plan done. He just hadn’t gotten around to it yet.
Like many people, he assumed he still had time. When he passed, there was no Will, Trust, or clear instructions for anything. His adult children suddenly found themselves trying to piece together basic information during one of the worst moments of their lives.
They didn’t know:
- Which accounts existed
- Whether there were debts
- Who should handle financial decisions
- What their father would have wanted
Instead of focusing on grieving, they spent months navigating probate court, gathering paperwork, hiring attorneys, and trying to avoid disagreements about what felt “fair.” At one point, one of the children said something that stuck with me: “Dad loved us. I know he did. I just wish he had made this easier for us.”
As estate planning attorneys, our job isn’t to tell you everything will magically work out. Our ethical responsibility is to explain what the worst-case scenario actually looks like—and how to prevent it. We don’t say this to scare people. We say it because we see what happens when no plan exists. And we also see the incredible relief families feel when one does.
If how you spend your time and money truly shows your priorities, then ask yourself: What does delaying your estate plan say about what matters most to you?
Not what you intend.
Not what you mean.
Not what you plan to do someday.
Because investing in your estate plan isn’t really about documents. It’s about protecting your people. Honoring your values. And making sure the story your family experiences after you’re gone is one of clarity, love, and security—not confusion and chaos. And that may be the most meaningful investment you ever make.
Contact Lorie Burch at www.burch-law.com or 972.385.055
More than 70% of adults have no estate plan at all. Not a Will, Trust, Powers of Attorney, nothing.
Estate planning isn’t about paperwork. It’s about what happens to the people you love when you can no longer help them yourself.