Our families and financial resources are gifts from God and these blessings deserve careful stewardship. Part of our stewardship responsibility is to protect the loved ones whom the Lord has entrusted to our care. And one of the best ways you can protect your family is by getting your estate plan done.

A properly drafted estate plan will protect your spouse and children from the trauma and expense of going to court to take care of your affairs if you are incapacitated or when you pass on. With careful estate planning you can ensure that your property will be distributed to your loved ones according to your wishes, with minimal waste.

Often, with our busy schedules, we Catholic men overlook this important responsibility to the detriment of our loved ones. The statistics show that women usually outlive men and our spouses are left to deal with the family difficulties which occur if proper estate planning has not been done ahead of time. Protecting your family by proper estate planning is something every Christian man should do. In fact, I Timothy 5:8 tells us "If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever."

With proper estate planning you can rest easy by knowing that you have provided financial security for your family. One of the most popular estate planning strategies is to use a Revocable Living Trust. The Living Trust enables your spouse and family to bypass the Probate Court if you are incapacitated or when you pass on. That way your family can take care of your affairs without having to go through the expense and delay of going to court to take care of these matters. Without such a court avoiding estate plan, your God-given property will likely be reduced by estate settlement costs and your loved ones may be exposed to court and family discord.

Your estate plan can also enable you to reduce income and estate taxes and pass on the savings to your family and your Catholic ministry. With tax-wise estate planning, you can provide for your family and help your favorite Catholic ministry continue the important work it is doing.

If you would like to discuss how estate planning can protect your family and help you be a good steward, please contact St. Joseph’s Covenant Keepers (941-764-7725) for further information.

Mark Henry is an Estate Planning Attorney & CPA. Mark is a frequent speaker on Catholic faith-based planning topics and has appeared on EWTN and other national programs.