Talking to Loved Ones About What Really Matters

"The Holidays" can mean travel, excitement, gathering together with those you love, stress, conflict, and any or all of these things.

We wish you the happiest of holidays! We also urge you to take the time this holiday season to talk with those you love about what's truly important to you, and what's important for them to know. Make sure you tell them that you love them. Make sure you tell them about your estate plan, about where they can find your important legal and financial documents in an emergency, and who your important advisors are (e.g. estate planning attorney, financial advisor, accountant.) We understand that these conversations with family members can be difficult to start. But they are important. Talk to those you love about the legal, financial and healthcare decisions you have made, and take the time, while you still can, to explain your choices.

A DocuBank membership can help you get started. You can send a quick, pre-written e-mail to your child or other loved ones from the DocuBank website to let them know that you have healthcare directives and a DocuBank card. This is one way to initiate a conversation about your healthcare choices. When you see your loved ones over the holidays, you can continue the discussion by giving copies of your directives to those loved ones whom you have selected as your healthcare power(s) of attorney. To send this "get-started" e-mail, simply log in to your DocuBank membership at www.docubank.com and click on the "Family Notification" tab on the left side of the screen.

Talking about your healthcare directives can also be a good lead-in to talking about your other personal and financial choices with those you love. It's important -- for you and for them. Take this step to ensure that everyone knows what you want while you can still answer questions and provide feedback. And then eat a lot, have a wonderful time, and enjoy your holiday!