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County Extension Service to offer estate planning workshop In Clarke County, less than 40 percent of our citizens have made an estate plan for the distribution of their assets after they die. Even fewer, less than 20 percent, of younger couples have developed a will to cover the guardianship of their children if they should both die at the same time. Among African Americans, 83 percent have not left a will of any kind. Why is this such a problem? Those who do not leave instructions in the form of a will or a trust, the State of Alabama will decide who gets their property and who will gain custody of their children. The property decisions will be made by the probate judge in their county. Any legal heir can lay claim to their property if you do not leave a will. If no legal heirs can be found, the State of Alabama will take the property. The Alabama Cooperative Extension System will conduct an Estate Planning Workshop Feb. 18-19, from 6-8 p.m. at the Grove Hill Baptist Church in the fellowship hall. Rick Zapata, regional extension agent, will conduct the workshop. On the first evening, he will cover probate law, estate and gift taxes and will design. There will be time allotted for questions and answers in each session. Each participant will be given a living will and health care proxy for their personal use. On the second evening, they will cover reverse mortgages in estate planning and the various types of trusts. Some Medicaid law will also be discussed in relation to estate planning. They will also discuss the use of life insurance policies to fund an estate plan for children and grandchildren. The workshop classes are free to the public since they are sponsored by the Alabama Cooperative Extension System. The classes are taught so that everyone can learn and a lot of common sense examples will be used to help the participants design a workable estate plan. Even if you have already designed a plan, you would benefit from the information provided. For those who have put off making a plan, this is an opportunity to get the information to enable them to get started on a plan for their family and estate. This information will benefit farmers, ranchers and those in the timber industry.
For more information and to register, call the Grove Hill Chamber of Commerce at 251- 275-4188 or Rick Zapata at (334) 703-2276.
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