Why Parents Keep Putting Off Estate Planning

I’m not an attorney. But I am married to one — and I’m a dad. So I’ve had a front-row seat to something most parents avoid thinking about: what happens to your kids if something happens to you.

My wife, Pooja Arora, is an estate planning attorney in Lexington, MA. She founded her own firm, My Special Legal Planning, a few years ago. Recently, her Google Business profile crossed 110 reviews. Every single one is five stars. I read through all of them, and what struck me wasn’t the star count — it was how many clients said some version of the same thing: “I wish I hadn’t waited so long.”

Why Parents Put It Off

I get it. Estate planning sounds like something for wealthy retirees, not for a couple in their 30s or 40s juggling daycare pickups and soccer schedules. But here’s what I’ve learned watching Pooja work with families every week: estate planning isn’t about wealth. It’s about your kids.

If you have minor children and no estate plan, you haven’t named a guardian. That means if something happens to both parents, a court decides who raises your kids. Not your family. Not your best friend who knows your values. A judge who’s never met you.

If you have a will but no trust, your assets go through probate — a public, expensive, time-consuming court process. And in Massachusetts, the legal age to inherit is 18. So your teenager could receive a lump sum with no guardrails.

These aren’t edge cases. These are the situations Pooja walks families through every day. And every one of them is avoidable with a plan.

What 110 Families Say About Getting It Done

I went through every one of those reviews looking for patterns. A few things stood out.

The word that shows up more than any other is “patient.” Thirty-seven out of 110 clients specifically mentioned patience or empathy. That’s one in three families who felt it was worth writing down. Estate planning forces you to think about dying, about becoming incapacitated, about worst-case scenarios for your children. These are hard conversations. Pooja doesn’t rush them. I’ve watched her explain the same concept three different ways in a single meeting because the client needed to hear it differently.

She makes the complex feel simple. Sixty-six reviews mention clarity — how Pooja took something intimidating and made it understandable. First-time parents who didn’t know the difference between a will and a trust say she walked them through every document, every decision, every signature. She sends meeting notes after each session so families can review what was discussed at their own pace.

She’s flexible in ways that matter to busy parents. Multiple clients mention evening meetings, weekend availability, library meetups, and remote consultations. For families already stretched thin between work and caregiving, that flexibility is often the difference between getting a plan done and continuing to put it off.

She follows through. Clients describe quick email replies, proactive follow-ups, and chasing down unresponsive third parties. One client said Pooja resolved an estate issue that previous attorneys couldn’t close.

The Personal Story Behind the Practice

This is the part that’s personal for me.

Our son is profoundly impacted by autism. That’s not a marketing line — it’s our life. And it’s the reason Pooja started her own firm.

When your child has significant disabilities, estate planning becomes urgent in ways most parents don’t have to think about. A standard trust can disqualify your child from government benefits. The wrong guardianship paperwork can leave your family in legal limbo. Most estate planning attorneys, even good ones, don’t fully grasp what’s at stake.

Pooja does — not just because she earned an advanced degree in estate planning, but because she lives it. Every plan she writes for a special needs family, she’s thinking about what she’d want for our son.

But what I’ve learned from reading 110 reviews is that this personal stake doesn’t just serve special needs families. It shapes how Pooja treats every client. She brings the same intensity to a young couple creating their first will as she does to a family navigating a complex guardianship. Because she knows, personally, what it feels like when your child’s future depends on getting the plan right.

Who She Works With

Based on those 110 reviews, Pooja’s clients include young families setting up their first will and trust, parents planning for children with special needs, families seeking guardianship for an adult child with disabilities, immigrant families navigating unique estate planning considerations, adult children creating plans for elderly parents, and families dealing with loss who need help with probate.

If You’ve Been Putting It Off

I’m not writing this to drum up business for my wife — though I wouldn’t mind that. I’m writing it because I’ve watched too many families come to Pooja after a crisis, wishing they’d come before one. A car accident. A sudden diagnosis. A parent who passed without a plan, leaving the family to sort it out in probate court during the worst months of their lives.

Estate planning is one of those things that’s easy to ignore when life is busy. But “busy” is exactly the season when it matters most — when you have young kids, aging parents, a mortgage, and a life that other people depend on.

If you’ve been putting it off, stop waiting. And if you’re looking for someone who will treat your family’s plan like it’s her own family’s plan, I can tell you from experience: that’s exactly what Pooja does.

She also hosts free Saturday estate planning workshops at her Lexington office, designed to help families understand the basics before committing to anything. It’s a low-pressure way to start.

Pooja Arora, Esq., LL.M., is the founder of My Special Legal Planning, located at 424 Marrett Rd #202, Lexington, MA. She is licensed in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Reach her at 617-500-3229 or myspeciallegalplanning.com.