In estate planning, signing your initial set of documents, such as a will or trust, is your “drive.” It is your initial shot that moves the ball down the fairway.
This “first swing” puts the following key protections in place: naming who will manage your affairs if you can’t, specifying how your assets should be distributed to your beneficiaries, helping prevent family confusion or conflict at a time when emotions are running high, and nominating guardians for minor children.
Like a strong drive that moves the ball far down the course and sets up your approach to the green, these documents take you much closer to your end goal. They are unlikely to be a “hole-in-one.” There is still work to be done. However, you are much closer than you were. You are no longer standing at the tee, debating your initial swing. You have made measurable progress. You are moving the ball forward.
