Why Summer Is the Ideal Season to Update Your Estate Plan and Landscape Your Yard
Summer presents a unique opportunity to take charge of both your estate planning and yard landscaping. As warmer weather settles in, it inspires many to refresh and renew, much like nature itself. This timing aligns perfectly with addressing household matters that need attention but are often neglected. Not only does it allow for outdoor work, but it is also a good time to review important documents. When you combine these tasks, summer becomes the ideal season to strategically manage and improve your life’s assets, both on paper and around your home.
Update Your Estate Plan During the Warm Months
It is often recommended to update your estate plan once every five years, providing you a chance to reflect on any changes in your assets, desires, or family dynamics. Estate planning is not a one-time task, and periodic reviews ensure that your intentions are accurately reflected. During summer, when the routine of life tends to slow down, many find it easier to tackle these intricate pieces of their personal legacy.
Amid the leisure of summer, people are more apt to think about what’s truly important to them and adjust their estate plans accordingly. Revisiting your estate plan while sitting on your porch or in your backyard can be a thoughtful process that pairs well with the relaxed pace of the season. This time allows you to assess the current state of your estate while taking into account any new personal or financial circumstances that may have arisen.
For those who have recently experienced significant life events such as marriage or acquiring a new house, summer is an optimal time to incorporate these changes into your estate plan. Seasonal downtime also offers more flexibility to consult with professionals, if needed, ensuring that all legalities are properly managed. By integrating estate planning into your summer tasks, you can enjoy peace of mind, knowing your wishes are accurately documented.
The Value of Landscaping in the Summer
Landscaping during summer not only takes advantage of the growing season but also significantly enhances the value of your property. With the sun bathing your yard in light, it’s the perfect time to transform or refresh your outdoor space. Enhancing your landscaping can be a rewarding endeavor, providing both immediate and long-term aesthetic and financial benefits.
According to industry insights, a substantial percentage of work performed by the arboriculture industry happens at single-family residences. This highlights the importance homeowners place on maintaining and upgrading their yards. While tackling landscaping in the summer may seem daunting, breaking the work into manageable sections allows you to see progress and enjoy the results over a season.
Most homeowners seek to create outdoor spaces that reflect their personal taste while offering a functional and enjoyable area for family gatherings. Landscaping allows you to design spaces that extend the comfort of your house into your yard. Whether it’s installing a new patio or adding colorful flowerbeds, summer provides the ideal conditions for outdoor projects to thrive.
Improving Outdoor Spaces for Greater Satisfaction
Despite efforts, a large majority of homeowners remain dissatisfied with their outdoor spaces, indicating a widespread opportunity for improvement. Forbes reports that 88% of people in the United States are unsatisfied with their yards. This dissatisfaction often drives the desire for change and renovation, turning summer into the season of transformation.
Summer is a time for outdoor activities and enjoying nature, and a well-landscaped yard can be the perfect setting. It provides an ideal environment for relaxation and recreation, creating a sanctuary just outside your house. By planning and executing landscaping projects in summer, you’re setting the stage for enjoyment throughout the year, cherishing both aesthetic beauty and improved quality of life.
Updating your estate plan and landscaping your yard might seem like unrelated tasks, but summer provides the perfect context to address both. From ensuring your legal matters reflect your current life situation to creating a beautiful outdoor space, summer encourages a holistic approach to improving and managing your assets. As you enjoy the warm months, take the time to evaluate and enhance your environment both inside and outside your house.
This is really interesting and I love the parallel between landscaping and estate planning. Also, a good reminder for me to get on it!!!
We tend to plan these things more often at the end of spring, so we can relax more in the summertime.
I never thought that summer was the right time to look at estate stuff, but with the longer days and slower pace, it feels like a good chance to check those things off finally. And the landscaping part? That lit a fire under me—I’ve been putting off fixing up the yard, but breaking it down like that makes it feel less overwhelming.
Summer with the milder dryer weather is the perfect time to get outside and start working on our outdoor space. It’s not only therapeutic to work outside in our own gardens but also a great way to get some exercise too. Creating a sanctuary outside to enjoy all summer is something I am looking to achieve.
We don’t have a lawn (yet), but thanks to your recent post, we know what type of grass to look for. For now, the patio flower garden is the choice to bring beauty, relaxation, and the much-needed recreation, just as you mentioned.
I am currently doing this! I am creating a Hosta garden in the edge of the woods in our back yard. It’s hot and humid here, so I have to water the plants a lot.
Summer gives me more space to breathe and think clearly, and working in the garden always helps me reflect.
I think if I become a homeowner again that I will hire someone to do my yard work. They’ll do a better job than I can, and I love the landscape to look nice
We’re actually redoing our storage shed and some flower beds out back. We have it planned for summer.
We need to give our lot a makeover. It’s okay, but the years have not been kind.
Amazing advice in this article, thank you! I never thought about there being a particularly opportune moment for estate planning, but you’re totally right. Summer is definitely ideal for this!
This is great advice! I really need to sit down and develop my estate plan and determine the best course of action for my future. Thanks for the reminder!