A pilot estate planning/will-writing program for clergy
Do you have a will? If not, you are not alone. In fact, 76% of adults in the United States do not. There are lots of reasons why people haven’t gotten around to writing their will: cost, time, confusion on where to start, and procrastination. The Methodist Foundation for Arkansas wants to help. We’re offering a new program for clergy in which participants, single or couples, will work with an attorney to create their will.
Participants in “Your Will be Done” will meet with an attorney at the Foundation office to begin the process for creating a will that reflects their situation and desires for their assets, complete their advance care directive, and appoint all positions critical to estate planning (executor, power of attorney, guardian for minor children).
Since we’ve heard the reasons why many people haven’t gotten around to getting a will, we designed our program to address four of the top reasons:
Cost: On average, the cost to work with an attorney in Arkansas to write your will is $550. The Foundation is asking participants to pay $100 to participate in this program – a fraction of the average cost. But here’s the best part – upon completion of the program, the Foundation will deposit $100 into the MFA permanent endowed fund of the clergy’s choice. It can be an existing fund or a new fund created by the clergy to benefit a beloved Methodist ministry or ministries of their choice.
Time: Clergy commit to at least two meetings with our attorney. The first meeting will be held at the Foundation’s office in Little Rock on either Tuesday, September 23 or Monday, September 29. Subsequent appointments will be held over Zoom with the attorney.
Confusion over where to start: A list of required documents will be sent to the participants before the initial meeting. These forms must be completed before the first meeting in order to be prepared and make the best use of the attorney’s time.
Procrastination: This one’s up to you! But we encourage you not to delay in taking advantage of this new opportunity. Registration is limited; participants will be selected in order of registration. A waitlist will be created as necessary.
So, what are you waiting for?
