Your CartIt Just Makes Sense to be Prepared!
You know, deep down, that preparing for end-of-life issues, or a medical crisis needs to be done, but you just don't want to dwell on the subject. Rationalizing, “I have plenty of time to prepare” “It's so morbid to think about” “It's an overwhelming task” “I have so many files to go through” “I'm still young”. We tend to find so many excuses not to prepare until it's too late and we wish we had taken the time.
If you have never had the responsibility of seeing to the daily needs and providing care for someone with dementia or other life-altering situations, or had the responsibility of administering an estate, then it may be difficult for you to understand how important it is to be prepared. You will not understand how exhausting and overwhelming the tasks are or how difficult it will be for your loved ones or representatives, when they are faced with doing this on your behalf.
An important first step to take is to seek legal advice regarding the need for a Will, Power of Attorney, and Healthcare Representative. An attorney will be able to provide guidance on how best to set up your estate. Depending on your circumstances and level of wealth, this could result in a simple Will naming an Executor and how your estate is to be dispersed, or to a more comprehensive plan that would include trusts and other asset protecting documents.
These legal documents are very important in naming the people you have chosen to act on your behalf when you are no longer capable of doing so. The alternative is having the court system identify these individuals should the need arise. Creating a Will is not just for older adults or wealthy individuals. If you have children and something happens to both parents at the same time, do you want the court system to make the decision as to who becomes guardian for your children? Who will be responsible for the financial well-being of your children? Who will oversee the distribution of your personal property?
Once you have the necessary legal documents, it is then important to take the next step and complete When The Time Comes. The organizer was created to take the guess work out of what will be needed to either maintain someone's daily life if incapacitated, or to administer an estate if someone has died. Twenty of the most important areas that will need to be addressed, are written in an easy-to-follow, fill-in-the-blank format. The organizer covers the information that, at minimum, takes families months and often years, to work through. This brings estate planning full circle!
After you have completed the organizer, take the time to sit down with those who you have named as your representatives to discuss the content and where the organizer will be located when the need arises. It is handy to keep your legal documents with the organizer so that all the important information is kept together.
My goal in writing When The Time Comes was to reduce the enormous stress placed on loved ones or representatives who are responsible for seeing to these tasks, by having all the information in one comprehensive organizer. By taking the time now to have the needed legal documents and completing the organizer, you will have given one of the greatest gifts your loved ones will ever receive.