“Estate planning is not a topic that anyone really wants to think or talk about. In fact, many people might not even know what it means, so let’s start there.”
Estate planning is important for anyone over the age of 18. It does not matter if you have a small or large bank account, if you are a parent or not, or if you are old or young. A typical estate plan includes a will, durable power of attorney and advance health care directive, says the Pensacola News Journal in the article “Let’s Talk About: Estate Planning.”
What makes up an estate? Your home, cars, investments, bank accounts, retirement accounts and any belongings you own. Your will, which is also known as a “Last Will and Testament”, is a way to create a legally binding document with instructions as to who should get these possessions when you have died. Your will should also include directions about who will care for your children, if they are still minors under the legal age of adulthood.
If you die without a will, your family will have to deal with more than the grief of losing you. They’ll have to go through a legal quagmire to settle your estate. Family members often end up in expensive and emotionally devastating legal battles, when there is no clear will from the deceased.
A durable power of attorney lets you name someone to make important decisions on your behalf, if you are too sick to be able to speak for yourself. This is especially important for elderly people but can also come into play for younger adults.
The advance health care directive allows someone to make decisions about your health. We think about this as concerning older people. However, there are tragic instances where younger people also need to have this document. It also allows family members to access medical records and talk with physicians. Without it, doctors are not legally permitted to discuss care or decisions, even with a young adult’s own parents. It can also allow you to designate the treatment you would authorize (or not authorize) and when.
A living will may be available to focus on end-of-life care. Do you want to be placed on a respirator, if you cannot breathe for yourself? What about being an organ donor?
These are tough questions and the contemplation of one’s own mortality is never pleasant. However, by having these conversations with your family members and by making sure you have an estate plan in place prepared by an experienced estate planning attorney, you can spare your family, loved ones and yourself, a good deal of stress and worry.
Make an appointment to meet with an estate planning attorney. They’ll be able to create the documents you need to protect your family and ensure that your wishes are followed. There could be other planning tools, such as trusts that may be useful in your estate plan.
Resource: Pensacola News Journal (July 24, 2018) Let’s Talk About: Estate Planning
“資產規劃不是任何人真正想要或談論的話題。事實上，許多人甚至可能都不知道這意味著什麼，所以讓我們從那裡開始吧。”
對任何18歲以上的人來說，資產規劃都是非常重要。如果您是小型或大型銀行賬戶，如果您是父母，或者您是老人還是年輕，資產計劃是同樣重要。典型的遺產計劃包括遺囑，持久授權書和預先醫療保健指令，Pensacola新聞雜誌在文章中說“Let’s Talk About: Estate Planning.” (讓我們來談談：資產規劃)
什麼是資產? 您的房屋，汽車，投資，銀行賬戶，退休賬戶以及您擁有的任何財物。你的意志，也被稱為“遺囑和遺言”，是一種具有法律約束力的文件，該文件說明了在你去世時誰應該得到這些財產。您的遺囑還包括關於誰會照顧您的孩子，如果他們仍然是成年法定年齡的未成年人。
如果你沒有遺囑就死去，你的家人將不得不面對比失去你更多的悲傷。他們將不得不經歷一個法律的泥沼來解決你的財產問題。當死者沒有明確的遺囑時，家庭成員往往最終會進行昂貴且情緒破壞性的法律鬥爭。
如果您病得太重，無法自己說話，財務的授權書允許您指定某人代表您做出重要決定。這對老年人尤其重要，但也可以為成年人發揮作用。
預先醫療保健指令允許某人決定您的健康狀況。我們認為通常這與老年人有關。然而，一些悲慘的例子顯示，子女也需要有這份文件。它還允許家庭成員取得醫療記錄並與醫生交談。沒有它，即使是子女，也不被允許與醫生討論關於父母的護理或治療決定。它還可以讓你指定想要或不想要的治療方式以及何時治療。
生前意願書可能專注於臨終關懷。如果你不能自己呼吸，你想要戴上呼吸器嗎？成為器官捐獻者？
這些都是一個棘手的問題，對自己死亡的思考永遠不會愉快。但是，通過與您的家人進行對話，並確保您有經驗豐富的資產規劃律師準備的資產計劃，您可以免除您的家人，親人和您自己的壓力和擔憂。
預約見一位資產規劃律師。他們將能夠創建保護您家人所需的文件，並確保遵守您的意願。可能還有其他規劃工具，例如可能對您的遺產計劃有用的信託。
參考: Pensacola News Journal (July 24, 2018) Let’s Talk About: Estate Planning