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For many, the holidays are often spent gathering around the dining room table with family and close friends, sharing meals and regaling each other with stories or politics of the day, to the chagrin of some. It is also a time of year when we look forward to accomplishing our year-end goals and plan for the future.

As estate planning attorneys, we often see an uptick in interest from our clients during the holiday season to start or make changes to their estate plans that address their present and future goals. One often-overlooked aspect of estate planning is the family meeting. A family meeting is important because it gives you the opportunity to communicate your wishes to your loved ones while you are living and capable of doing so. It is also important to ensure there is transparency with your family to reduce the likelihood of conflict between family members and to set general expectations about the distribution of your assets as well as any decisions you made about your end-of-life care.

Talking about end-of-life matters is never easy, but a well-planned family meeting will allow your loved ones to have access to the same information and give them a chance to ask questions to better understand your wishes and their roles after your death.

Please review the following PDF for an overview of the five steps to conducting a successful family meeting.