Please join Charles C. Bratton, Esq. of Rothamel Bratton Attorneys Office and his colleagues at WealthCounsel in a public relations campaign to showcase National Estate Planning Awareness Week, October 20-26, 2014.

Rothamel Bratton’s goal is to alert and educate the public to establish and keep their estate plans up to date.

In 2008, the National Association of Estate Planners and Councils (NAEPC) worked with Congress to pass a resolution proclaiming the third week in October as National Estate Planning Awareness Week. The resolution noted that “Many Americans are unaware that lack of estate planning and financial illiteracy may cause their assets to be disposed of to unintended parties by default through the complex process of probate.”

THE NEED:

• More than 120 million Americans do not have proper estate plans to protect themselves or their families in the event of sickness, accidents, or untimely death. This costs many families wasted dollars and unnecessary hardship that can be minimized with proper planning.
• One of the biggest misconceptions and myths is estate planning is for the wealthy. Estate planning is not just for the wealthy and is important for everyone. With advance planning, issues such as guardianship of children, managing bill paying and assets in the event of sickness or disability, care of a special needs child, long-term care needs, and distribution of retirement assets can all be handled with sensitivity, care, and at a reasonable cost.

“Estate planning is a thoughtful process and not merely a single legal transaction,” said Bratton. “Establishing an estate plan is one of the most important steps you can take to protect yourself and your loved ones.”

Please use our free Estate Planning Check Up tool to help determine if the time may be right for you and your loved ones.

Join us all week on our Facebook page for daily Estate Planning Awareness Week Tips!

About Charles C. Bratton
Bratton is a founding member of Rothamel Bratton, LLC and chair of the firm’s trusts, estates, elder law, and life care planning division. Mr. Bratton counsels clients with regard to estate planning and administration, elder law, asset protection, business succession planning and disability planning. He is a frequent lecturer on varied estate planning and elder law topics, including complex tax, long term care planning, and administration issues. He works in the firm’s Haddonfield and West Trenton, New Jersey and Philadelphia offices. Mr. Bratton received his Bachelor of Science degree, cum laude, from Southeastern Louisiana University and his juris doctorate from Rutgers University: Camden, New Jersey. He is currently pursuing his LLM.