Finance expert Irit Harris suggests all working parents get an estate plan to protect your assets and give you peace of mind. Benjamin Franklin wrote: "In this world, nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes." Like many others my age and stage, I have definitely complained about taxes, but have very openly avoided discussing the other inevitable factor in Franklin’s quote. After the birth of my first child and at the start of my F-Empowered journey, I realized that I was not as financially fit as I should be. How could I preach the importance of preparing for the inevitable without myself being well prepared? Later, with two kids in tow, this feeling became one of irresponsibility. I had to do something to ensure that our biggest assets are well looked after when we die.

Enter the estate plan

It’s so much more than a will! An estate plan is the act of preparing for the transfer of a person's wealth and assets in the event of his or her illness, mental incapacity, financial incapacity, or death. An estate plan outlines your wishes that you'd like your loved ones (and lawyer) to act upon if any of the above situations were to arise. A good estate plan has three aims:
  • To give you control, via a set of instructions, of your most important assets (including your kids) if you fall ill or die.
  • To try to avoid your next of kin suffering financially.
  • To minimize any family arguments about who gets what.
Unfortunately, almost 60% of Australians die without a valid will, and of those who have one, only half have a full estate plan in place. The statistics are much the same in the USA and UK. You can obtain an estate plan by engaging with an estate planning specialist or lawyer who will go through all the things you need to consider and agree upon. The plan can then be reviewed whenever you encounter major life changes (more debt, more kids, different relationships, etc.). My experience talking with an estate planner involved many a ‘God forbid’ and plenty of wood knocking — but with it coming together, I give a big sigh of relief. Written by Irit Harris. Irit is the founder of F-Empowered, a platform to financially empower employees to achieve their money goals through proven financial fitness programs. Aside from being an infinite learner (over 10 years in banking, MBA, Diploma of Finance, accreditation to give general advice on banking and insurance products), Irit is a mum to two beautiful kids, wife to the incredibly supportive Josh, and lover of travel, yoga, and jogging. Follow F-Empowered on Facebook and Instagram.