The room was packed! But, I wasn’t surprised.

When I walked into Ciarra’s estate planning workshop on Saturday, April 22nd, at our Economic Empowerment Conference, there were few open seats.

Many of us have much to learn about estate planning – wills, trusts, and the like. That’s quite a phrase: estate + planning. “Estate” sounds like something for wealthy people. But, the word is defined as “all the money and property owned by a particular person, especially at death.” That means that if you have any money and any property – you have an estate!

A “plan” is “a detailed proposal for doing or achieving something.” An estate plan is “a detailed proposal for” + “all the money and property owned by a particular person, especially at death.”

It is something that we all need. But, we all don’t have it. A recent study by Caring.com reports that two-thirds of US adults have no will. Source: CNBC

Ciarra Adkins – a local Grand Rapids attorney – told our Conference workshop attendees, “I have given $1,000 in the first quarter of the year to GoFundMe’s for people who have lost loved ones unexpectedly.” Unfortunately, the unplanned pain of grieving is too often compounded by the unplanned dissolution of the estate. Those left behind are left scrambling to pay for final expenses and dealing with assets being taken control by the government rather than those assets going directly to those individuals and organizations that the deceased would have wanted.

Ciarra gave definitions and action steps for attendees to take. She said that, in many states, even a handwritten will on a napkin is considered a legal document! In other words, something written is better than nothing!

The EEC partner organizations also invested in one of our conference attendees toward her estate plan. We held a drawing for $500 towards a life insurance premium, and conference attendee Christy Clark was our winner! This life insurance can be used for final expenses and as a wealth-building tool!

Invest in yourself and your loved ones by reading the article included here for tips on estate planning. Next, make an appointment with a professional who can help you write your estate plan.

Another empowering conference is on the books! We would like to express our gratitude to all of our EEC 2023 sponsors: