A comprehensive estate plan can help protect you, your family, and your assets.
Estate planning does not have to be difficult – especially when you have a trained legal advocate who can help guide you through the process and explain the purpose and advantages of different must-have estate planning documents.
Below, we will go over the four essential estate planning documents everyone should have in order to rest easy at night, knowing that your loved ones will be taken care of.
The cornerstone of a good estate plan is a last will and testament. This document directs how you want to dispose of your property. It also gives you the opportunity to hand pick an executor who will carry out the final wishes detailed in your will.
This is also considered one of the must have estate planning documents for parents because they can name a guardian who will be responsible for taking care of their children in case they are still minors at the time of their passing.
A durable power of attorney allows you, the principal, to appoint an agent to act on your behalf regarding financial transactions, especially if you become incapacitated.
The agent you name should be someone you trust because he or she will be able to conduct important financial business on your behalf, such as:
This is a business agency relationship in which you give your agent access to your money to get things done that you are unable to do for yourself.
This document appoints an agent who can make medical decisions for you if you are unable to make these decisions for yourself. This person can make treatment decisions regarding your healthcare as well as end-of-life care.
A living will advance directive is a document that details the type of medical treatment that you do or do not want to receive in the event of end-of-life decisions.
For example – if you are in a persistent vegetative state with no brain function, and machines and medications are only keeping your body functional, you can state that you want them to be removed so you can die naturally.
The estate planning attorneys at Golightly, Mulligan & Morgan PLC make the estate planning process understandable and approachable.
We can discuss your individual needs and preferences and ensure that they are integrated into your estate planning documents correctly to protect you, your family, and your future.
