Why women should take the lead ESTATE PLANNING

By Renee Kendall CNW Contributor

A wise person once said “A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children ” But, what does this mean for the many families that are headed by women? Within the Caribbean diaspora population, there are more households headed by women than men. However, most of these very women do not have an estate plan in place, though it is particularly important for them and their families.

Here are a few key reasons why.

Women often bear the weight of responsibility with regards to financial, physical, emotional and all other areas of care taking. These responsibilities will include our aging parents, spouses, children, adult siblings and other extended family

There is often no one left to take over the immense level of responsibility we carry during our lifetime and a wealth of information can die with us, leaving our loved ones “uncovered ”

Statistically, women outlive men, so proper estate planning is more important for the surviving spouse, who will likely be the woman Estate planning is of even greater importance for women living with men to whom they may not be legally married, since there is limited protection under the law for the surviving women, in such circumstances

Consider the following common scenario: An elderly person, living alone, becomes increasingly confused or forgetful as they age They begin to neglect bills, medical appointments and basic security measures like locking their front doors Their adult child, usually a daughter, steps in to help mom or dad and is met with great resistance

Without proper planning, your mom ’ s bank, union, landlord or mortgage lender does not have to talk to you, even if you explain that your mom is sick, becomes confused, or is unable to handle her own affairs So how can you help or avoid the above scenario? An estate plan

Legal Notice

TO: The 1st Defendant GR. Group International LLC Suite 210C, 1400 NE Miami Gardens Drive North Miami Beach Florida 33179, U S A

Notice is hereby given to you that a Fixed Date Claim Form dated December 21. 2022, an Amended Fixed Date Claim Form dated February 6, 2023 and the Affidavit of Colett Grandison sworn to on December 30, 2022 were filed by Samuda & Johnson, Attorneys-atLaw of 15 Trinidad Terrace, Kingston 5, Jamaica, W I. on behalf of Andropov Jamaica Limited in the Supreme Court of Judicature of Jamaica, King Street, Kingston, Jamaica, W I in Claim No. SU 2023 CD 00001, Andropov Jamaica Limited v GR. Group International LLC , The Registrar of Titles and The Attorney General For Jamaica

By the Order of the Honourable Mrs. Justice C. Brown Beckford made in the Supreme Court of Judicature of Jamaica on February 8, 2023 Andropov Jamaica Limited is permitted to serve the Fixed Date Claim Form, Amended Fixed Date Claim Form, Affidavit of Colett Grandison all statement of case, prescribed notes and form documents and all other court documents in these proceedings on GR Group International LLC by Publishing Legal Notices of these proceedings for the attention of GR Group International LLC in the National Weekly Newspaper, Florida

If you GR. Group International LLC intend to dispute the claim being advanced in the Fixed Date Claim Form and Amended Fixed Date Claim Form you are required to complete and return an Acknowledgment of Service stating this intention to the Registry of the Supreme Court of Judicature of Jamaica within twenty-eight (28) days of the Publication of the Legal Notice of these proceedings in the National Weekly Newspaper, Florida. If you GR Group International LLC wish to dispute the claim and rely on written evidence in response, you GR Group International LLC are required to file and serve an affidavit containing such evidence within fifty-six (56) days after service of these proceedings by Publication of the Legal Notice of these proceedings in the National Weekly Newspaper, Florida

FILED by MESSRS. SAMUDA & JOHNSON of 15 Trinidad Terrace, Kingston 5, whose telephone numbers are (876) 929-4727, (876) 754-5637-8 facsimile (876) 929-7002, e-mail thefirm@samuda-johnson com, Attorneys-atLaw for and on behalf of the CLAIMANT herein

What is an estate plan?

An estate plan is a detailed description of a set of instructions you give during your lifetime about what you want done with your assets in the event of your death, or should you become ill or incapacitated, or as you age An estate plan can include a will, a trust or a living will, but should also include some important tools like a Power of Attorney and Health Care Proxy designations

What an estate plan is not?

Purchasing life insurance, listing a beneficiary on your bank accounts or telling someone in the family, “When I die, the house is yours,” is not an estate plan While taking any of these actions may be a good idea, they cannot replace a well written and well thought out estate plan, because they can leave family members uncovered in cases of emergencies, at the mercy of lengthy court proceedings or fighting among each other about who is entitled to what

What’s more, the actions above do not include the often-overlooked Power of Attorney A Power of Attorney is a document whereby one person can empower another to act on their behalf in the event of illness, incapacity or absence

A Power of Attorney can be a valuable tool for someone who is taking care of an elderly parent or loved one, when properly planned and executed It can enable you to conduct banking, contact government agencies or handle your affairs for an aging parent, even in cases when that parent lives ‘back home’ in a Caribbean country

The Caribbean diaspora and estate planning

The Caribbean diaspora is a multinational organism, which means that we are likely to have family members, property, assets, bank accounts and other affairs, in both the countries where we currently reside, and also in our native or home countries

So, what happens when a person with multinational interests dies without an estate plan in place? And how does a surviving loved one begin to settle an estate that may be scattered or concealed?

The answer is that loved ones are left scrambling, because settling an estate will often require tracking down immediate family members and obtaining copies of birth records, marriage records, land deeds or bank statements - any or all of which could be in one or several other countries The circumstances can turn what should be a time for grieving and reflection, into a multinational scavenger hunt, amidst squabbling families. The result is chaos amidst sadness

Failure to have a proper estate plan can also present a unique set of challenges when we attempt to make funeral arrangements For example, did you know that many Caribbean countries require you to produce a passport for a deceased person, when you are trying to fly a deceased loved one back home to be buried?

What should you do?

A woman who is the head of a household should create a plan for herself, her aging parents or in-laws, as well as for her spouse or partner. Why? Because, failure to plan will fall squarely on her shoulders or that of her children. Proper planning is key to avoiding the chaos and frustrations described above

Renee Kendall is a practicing attorney specializing in estate planning, administration and real estate

She’s also the founding partner of Caribbean Legal Solutions - a multinational legal services company with practicing attorneys throughout the USA, the Caribbean, UK and Canada