January 4, 2017

A new study indicates that not much has changed in the landscape of retirement and estate planning; these are major issues that a lot of boomers are struggling with. While there’s a general recognition that both processes are valuable, a lack of action can put pre-retirees and retirees at risk of major problems.

These outcomes are from Hearts & Wallets, a data firm that seeks to explore how investors make decisions. In their yearly survey, the organization looked at more than 5,000 adults classified as “late-career” (those between 53 and 64) and individuals who plan to retire within the next several years.

While most survey respondents were somewhat confounded by the most appropriate response to retirement planning, estate planning was a tricky subject, too for both retirees and pre-retirees. Estate planning was an area in which individuals were more likely to become overwhelmed. For all the respondents, 26% said that estate planning was very difficult or somewhat difficult. Along with that, however, less than 10% of those same individuals actually reached out to get help with their estate planning.

While the prospect of getting your affairs in order, whether it’s for your own retirement or for estate planning purposes, can seem overwhelming, there are also major benefits to getting it done and forming a relationship with experienced professionals in this area. Finding the right lawyer, for example, can clear up most of your estate planning questions pretty quickly. Don’t let your family be the ones trying to answer difficult questions or navigate the probate process on their own- get these concerns addressed upfront by setting up a meeting with a New Jersey estate planning lawyer.