Estate planning does not seem like a pleasant prospect. It does involve thinking about death and incapacitation, two things people generally do not want to reflect on. Estate planning, however, is too important to avoid. Confronting difficult questions is the only way to legally protect yourself and the best interests of your loved ones. If you think you are too young, too healthy, too poor, or any other reason to need to estate plan now, reconsider.
Estate planning involves putting legal protections in place that can guard and guide you and your loved ones through some of the most unexpected and expected things that come up in life.
Why You Are Never Too Young to Estate Plan
When most people think about estate planning, they think about wills. Many younger people put off the estate planning process because they feel like they do not have any assets that they would need to worry about being distributed in the event they passed away. A will does not just distribute assets of high monetary value. A will can distribute items of high sentimental value as well. If you were to die without a will in place, the state would be tasked with how to distribute your personal property. The state, however, will have no idea the sentimental and emotional value of your property. The state will not know that you want your prized possessions to go to a particular friend and family member. Only you will know who you want to receive this prized personal items. Items that you treasured or items that you know someone in particular would treasure after you are gone.
There are also several critical health care documents you can put in place during the estate planning process. These health care documents can outline your wishes for worst case scenarios. If you should ever become incapacitated, they can provide much needed guidance to your loved ones on what kind of medical treatment you wish to receive or refuse. For instance, a living will can outline your feelings regarding end-of-life treatment and life-sustaining medical measures. Knowing your wishes have been made clear can be a big comfort to you and also to your loved ones who will already be under immense emotional pressure in these kinds of situations. You do not want to leave them guessing as to what you would want as far as medical care is concerned.
While a living will may outline your wishes in some critical health care situations where you are incapacitated and unable to communicate your wishes yourself, it will not cover all of them. That is why you may also put a health care power of attorney in place. This allows you to specify who you want to make health care decisions on your behalf should you become incapacitated. It is an important choice and one that you can take the time to weigh all of your options. This type of time and forethought is not afforded to those who fail to estate plan. Devastating accidents can happen to anyone at anytime. No one likes to think about it, but these estate planning documents can prove invaluable should you ever need them.
Estate Planning for Everyone
At Monk Law Firm, PLLC, we offer estate planning for everyone. No matter what your place in life may be, there is an estate plan for you.
Contact us today.