Did you know that April is Couples Appreciation Month? Though the provenance of this particular holiday is difficult to pin down, the mission behind it is perfectly clear: take the time to acknowledge and give thanks to your better half for the love and emotional support that they provide, as well as all of the other good things that they bring to your life. But what’s the best way to show your appreciation?

There are a number of great ways to celebrate each other, to recognize each other’s special contributions, and to do something special for your partner. Need some ideas?

• Speak up: It’s far too common for partners to feel deep appreciation for each other but to remain silent about it, or to assume that the other knows how they feel. Tell your partner what you love, appreciate and admire about them.
• Take them out on a date. Whether it’s dinner out, seeing a movie or show, taking a walk in the park or going away for a romantic weekend, it’s always nice to take time to enjoy each other’s company away from the day-to-day distractions.
• Write them a love letter.

These ideas all represent great ways to mark Couples Appreciation Month, but an even more meaningful (if less romantic) idea is to take the time to ensure that the future is secure by meeting with an estate planning attorney.

Estate planning has a number of different goals. Though some enter into the process for the purpose of minimizing taxes, for couples the main goal is generally to provide for each other and for their loved ones. They want to make sure that if one or both of them die or become unable to make decisions for themselves, the people that they care about will understand what their wishes are and will receive and distribute their assets in the way that they want.

Though people often shrug off estate planning as a task to be undertaken when they are elderly, the truth is that accidents and other unexpected events can happen at any time. Sitting down with an attorney to discuss an estate plan involving finances, long term care arrangements and similarly hard, cold facts may seem like a tremendously unromantic way to spend your time together, but in reality it is one of the most meaningful and impactful ways that you can express your devotion to your partner’s well-being.

For Couples Appreciation Month, you can buy your partner flowers and a card filled with flowery verse. You can bring home a box of chocolates, or take them out to a fancy dinner. But if you want to show them that your love and concern goes beyond a celebratory month and extends to the rest of your life and beyond, then call the offices of Rothamel Bratton Attorneys at Law and make an appointment to come in and secure their future comfort and security.