This year holiday gift buying is at the mercy of the supply chain. In fact, to guarantee you receive your gift on-time, many manufacturers started recommending that you place your holiday orders back in October. Therefore, if you're counting on your gifts to arrive before Christmas, you better pay attention to those shipping dates. But what if there was a better way to gift give this year - one that could better support your family and small business' future? And one that would also support local businesses in your area? While gift giving isn't usually of any concern to us, this year we're thinking outside of the box and presenting our top 5 legal gift ideas that will be appreciated long after the decorations are put away.
1. Set up an appointment with a Will, Trust and Estate Attorney
When you pass away, if there is no estate plan, will, living trust, or any other documents left behind that detail your wishes, your family members will have to guess your intentions. These include, but are not limited to, determining your final wishes if you're in a medical crisis and cannot consent for yourself, the type of funeral you want, how you want your estate divided, and other factors.
Therefore, if you (or someone you love) hasn't done so already, creating a Will, Trust or Estate Plan is not only a wonderful gift, but a necessity. In fact, we find it to be a wonderful gift for couples to give to each other or to other family members considering that it charts the financial future for your family. As our population continues to age, ensuring that the older adults in your life have their affairs in order will greatly reduce stress for everyone.
Contact our estate lawyer in Raleigh, NC to schedule a consultation and we can go from there. If you don’t have an estate plan in place or haven’t reviewed yours in several years, now is a great time to start.
2. Schedule a Consultation with a Financial Advisor
On a similar note, if you're "shopping" for the young adults in your life, now might be a great time to introduce them to a financial advisor. From curating an investment portfolio to setting up a 401K, giving the gift of financial awareness is a great step towards helping the ones you love reach their financial goals.
3. Pay Tax Preparation Fees
Do you have self-employed or freelance working loved ones who earn income from multiple sources? Chances are that they already have a planner that they love and they really don't want another gadget. And while gift cards are always appreciated, why don't you give the gift of covering their accountant fees during tax season. You may even give them contact information for your neighborhood tax accountant, if you "know a guy." Tax season will be here before you know it and for the self-employed, those tax fee preps can easily be forgotten from one year to the next.
4. Cover the Design Fees for a Website Makeover
If Covid-19 taught us anything, it's that every business, big or small, brick and mortar or 100% online needs to have a professional and user-friendly website to support their business goals. Not only is having a website or web-presence necessary to reach customers, but it's the easiest way for the entrepreneurs in your life to stay ahead of their competition. As such, if the business owner in your life has made any mention of needing to upgrade their site, then give the gift of a newly designed website. While it may require the gift recipient to put in a fair amount of work, we promise it'll be much appreciated.
5. Schedule and Pay for a Business Consultation
Another great gift for entrepreneurs and young professionals is the gift of a business consultation. In particular, if you know someone who is about to start a small business, then make sure they are getting legal support from our Raleigh small business lawyers at Eldreth Law Firm. We can help them get your business off to a strong start by ensuring that their legal needs are met.
With all of that said, we hope that you and your family have a wonderful holiday. As you finish up your holiday shopping, feel free to contact us with any questions or concerns you may have about small business law or estate planning. In addition, our attorneys are here to help you with all your legal matters, whether it be entertainment law, real estate, trademarking, copyrighting, or DWI issues.
