Estate planning is really all about individual liberty

Estate planning is about a lot of different things.  It is about your lifetime of hard work.  It is about protecting what you have accumulated over the years so that you control who gets your assets after you are gone.  But in simplest terms, estate planning is about protecting your personal liberty from unwarranted governmental encroachment.   It is a matter of principle.  The liberty to self determination;  the liberty to control ones’ lawfully accumulated wealth; the liberty to control the disbursement of ones’ property.   These are the essential values of a free society.   A good solid estate plan protects liberty and reinforces these fundamental American values.

Of course, there are some of our fellow citizens who need our charity.   Charity is a worthy and noble act.  But charity should not be a government mandate.   It should not be coerced by governmental authority in the form of excessive gift or estate taxation.  A well-crafted estate plan will provide for your charitable intentions while keeping you in charge of your assets and your legacy.  We must protect the  liberty of each individual to make ones’ own choices as to how their estate is distributed.  What could be more basic to the American ideal than the right to self determination of ones’ own legacy?