Get Started with Your Planned Giving During National Estate Planning Awareness Week
by Patrick Harris, Director of Major Gifts at United Way Broward
National Estate Planning Awareness Week highlights the importance of preparing for the future through thoughtful estate planning. It empowers individuals and families to protect their assets, honor their wishes, and reduce burdens on loved ones.
Held annually during the third full week of October, it’s a gentle nudge to pause and reflect: What will happen to my assets, my values, and my wishes when I am no longer here to guide them?
Despite its vital role in financial wellness, estate planning remains widely misunderstood and underused. Over 50% of people lack a will or estate plan, leaving their families vulnerable to confusion, legal delays, and financial hardship.
Estate planning isn’t just for the wealthy — it’s for everyone. Whether you own a home, have savings, or want to ensure your care for your children, estate planning ensures your voice is heard.
Estate planning also includes a range of legal and financial tools to manage your affairs during life and after. These tools — wills, trusts, powers of attorney, healthcare directives, and beneficiary designations — help ensure your wishes are respected and your loved ones are protected.
Getting started with estate planning doesn’t require wealth or legal expertise — just a willingness to take the first step. Here are specific actions anyone can take:
1. Take Inventory of Your Assets
List everything you own: bank accounts, real estate, vehicles, investments, retirement accounts, and personal belongings. Include digital assets like social media accounts and online subscriptions.
2. Define Your Goals
Ask yourself: Who should inherit your assets? Who should make decisions if you’re incapacitated? Do you want to support any charities? How can you minimize taxes and legal complications?
3. Create a Will
A will is the cornerstone of any estate plan. It outlines how your assets should be distributed and names guardians for minor children. Without a will, state laws determine these outcomes, which may not align with your wishes.
4. Establish a Power of Attorney
Designate someone you trust to manage your financial affairs if you become unable to do so. This prevents court-appointed guardianship and ensures continuity in managing bills, investments, and property.
5. Set Up a Healthcare Directive
Also known as a living will, this document specifies your medical preferences and appoints a healthcare proxy to make decisions on your behalf.
6. Review Beneficiary Designations
Accounts like life insurance, retirement plans, and bank accounts often allow you to name beneficiaries. These designations override your will, so keep them updated.
7. Consider a Trust
Trusts offer more control over how and when assets are distributed. They can help avoid probate, protect privacy, and manage complex family dynamics.
8. Consult a Professional
While DIY tools exist, consulting an estate planning attorney or financial advisor ensures your plan complies with state laws and reflects your unique needs.
9. Communicate Your Plan
Let your loved ones know your intentions and where to find your documents. Transparency reduces confusion and builds trust.
10. Review and Update Regularly
Life changes — marriage, divorce, births, deaths, and financial shifts — require updates to your estate plan. Revisit it every few years or after major events.
For those who believe in building stronger communities, planned giving through United Way Broward offers a powerful way to make a lasting impact. Your gift can:
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Fund early childhood education programs
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Support job training and financial coaching
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Provide emergency assistance for people in crisis
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Strengthen mental health and wellness initiatives
Our team at United Way Broward is ready to help as a resource and sounding board as you build your charitable plans, pursue your philanthropic objectives through planned giving, and ensure support for the causes you love will continue. Including a nonprofit like United Way Broward in your will ensures that your commitment to community and opportunity for all will make a difference well into the future.
Here’s why planned giving through United Way Broward is a powerful choice:
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Local reach: Our United Way operates and funds over 130 programs to uplift our community. For every $1 you donate, 87 cents directly support services in our community.
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Proven impact: Our wide range of partnerships with local agencies, schools, governments, and businesses delivers measurable results in housing support, vocational training, food distribution, early childhood education, access to healthcare, disaster recovery, and more.
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Stewardship: United Way Broward firmly honors donor intent and provides transparency and accountability in how funds are used. We have received a 4-star rating from Charity Navigator, the highest possible score, and are the first United Way in the U.S. accredited by the Council on Accreditation (COA).
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Since 1939, United Way Broward has evolved with the needs of our community and invested over $500 million since our inception.
By investing in Broward County through planned giving, you are a tremendous part of our mission to mobilize the community. From strengthening local resiliency to advancing health, youth opportunity, and financial security, you can help create a future where all can thrive — now and for generations to come.
Even if you don’t consider yourself wealthy, estate planning is a necessity. National Estate Planning Awareness Week reminds us that preparing for the future is an act of love and responsibility. By taking proactive steps, you are safeguarding your legacy, reducing burdens on your family, and contributing to an informed and resilient society. Making your planned gift is easier than you might think. Get started today.
When you have questions or want to discuss how you can create a better Broward through planned giving, please contact Patrick Harris, United Way’s Director of Major Gifts, at PHarris@UnitedWayBroward.org
or call 954-308-9264.