Nobody likes to think about dying. But it happens whether we prepare for it or not. And if you don’t do some advance planning it can cause even more longer lasting pain and grief, not to mention money and strained relations for your loved ones.

Many people don’t think they have an “estate” but odds are — house, car, stock, Thrift Savings Plan balance, insurance — you do. Odds are you are in fact worth more dead than alive, in a manner of speaking.

So we asked Tom O’Rourke for some words of wisdom. He’s an estate-tax attorney in the Washington, D.C. area, also a long-time IRS employee and Vietnam vet. He’s been working with clients — many of them active or retired feds — for decades. And he’s my guest on today’s Your Turn radio show at 10 a.m. EST. You can listen at www.federalnewsnetwork.com or at 1500 AM in the D.C. area. Shows are archived on our website so you can listen again anytime or refer it to a friend. If you have questions for Tom, send them to me before showtime at mcausey@federalnewsnetwork.com.