Karen Bennett in The Alpena News: It’s not too early … or too late

Reality: We don’t know how long we will be on this earth. As unpleasant as it may be to think about, we all need to get our end-of-life wishes in writing. There are some definite steps we should take right now, no matter how young or old we are.

I requested advice from two professionals that work in this field. I contacted Karen Bennett, an attorney, and Chad Esch, a funeral director.

What they both stated as being of utmost importance was having a will and/or trust in writing before we die. Chad emphasized that it is not a good thing to list only one beneficiary with the hope that they do the right thing in sharing the inheritance. He stated that not only can it cause major hard feelings among loved ones, but it also has tax implications in gifting money.

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