and called me to see if his mother might have been one of my clients. Turns out she had attended one of my estate planning seminars where she learned about the importance of planning ahead. She even scheduled an appointment, but unforI received a heart-wrenching phone call from a young soldier recently. His mother had just died and he was left with the responsibility of settling her estate. He had no idea the difficulties he would encounter—not on the battlefield but here in East Tennessee. The worst part is it could have been completely avoided.

‘Brian’, an Army soldier was on his way to Haiti when he received a phone call that his mother was in the hospital. Her outlook wasn’t good. Forced to take emergency leave, he rushed home. Unfortunately, he was too late. She had already passed away.

His mother never talked with him about her plans so now he doesn’t even know if she had a Will. In the midst of dealing with an emotional loss and feeling the pressure to return to his unit as soon as possible, Brian has to make her funeral arrangements. He also has to get her estate settled.

During his search, Brian came across one of my brochures and called me to see if his mother might have been one of my clients. Turns out she had attended one of my estate planning seminars where she learned about the importance of planning ahead. She even scheduled an appointment, but unfort

but here in East Tennessee. The worst part is it could have been completely avoided.

‘Brian’, an Army soldier was on his way to Haiti when he received a phone call that his mother was in the hospital. Her outlook wasn’t good. Forced to take emergency leave, he rushed home. Unfortunately, he was too late. She had already passed away.

His mother never talked with him about her plans so now he doesn’t even know if she had a Will. In the midst of dealing with an emotional loss and feeling the pressure to return to his unit as soon as possible, Brian has to make her funeral arrangements. He also has to get her estate settled.

During his search, Brian came across one of my brochures and called me to see if his mother might have been one of my clients. Turns out she had attended one of my estate planning seminars where she learned about the importance of planning ahead. She even scheduled an appointment, but unfor

ced to take emergency leave, he rushed home. Unfortunately, he was too late. She had already passed away.

His mother never talked with him about her plans so now he doesn’t even know if she had a Will. In the midst of dealing with an emotional loss and feeling the pressure to return to his unit as soon as possible, Brian has to make her funeral arrangements. He also has to get her estate settled.

During his search, Brian came across one of my brochures and called me to see if his mother might have been one of my clients. Turns out she had attended one of my estate planning seminars where she learned about the importance of planning ahead. She even scheduled an appointment, but unfor

th an emotional loss and feeling the pressure to return to his unit as soon as possible, Brian has to make her funeral arrangements. He also has to get her estate settled.

During his search, Brian came across one of my brochures and called me to see if his mother might have been one of my clients. Turns out she had attended one of my estate planning seminars where she learned about the importance of planning ahead. She even scheduled an appointment, but unfor

and called me to see if his mother might have been one of my clients. Turns out she had attended one of my estate planning seminars where she learned about the importance of planning ahead. She even scheduled an appointment, but unfortunately, she didn’t keep it.

There are several challenges Brian now faces. Funeral arrangements will be the first hurdle, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. At her death, all of his mother’s financial accounts are frozen. So how is he going to pay her bills? He can’t use any of the money in her accounts. That means he or another family member will have to use their own money to pay for things like utility bills, real estate taxes, etc.

Worse yet, who’s in charge? Brian is not an only child. At this point, no one legally has the authority to make any decisions affecting her estate. Who’s responsible for safeguarding her assets and securing her home?

When I spoke to Brian, he had already tried calling several of the local banks to see if his mother had an account there. Thinking a Will might be in a safety deposit box, he was trying to see if she had one.

He wasn’t able to make any progress because