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Estate Planning Chapter 12
Essay on estate planning
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Recommended: Estate Planning Chapter 12
Everyone needs an estate plan. Certainly, not everyone needs the complicated tax sheltering vehicles some have, but everyone needs these basic estate planning documents: (1) a will; (2) a durable power of attorney; and (3) an advance medical directive (“living will”). Too often, people dismiss estate planning as something only millionaires need or as something they will deal with later. But the fact is that these documents are helpful for everyone, and you can’t put off them until later forever. There are myriad reasons why estate planning, and specifically having a will, is important for everyone. First, if you die without a will, your estate is distributed under state “intestate succession laws.” While intestate succession laws generally …show more content…
Hiring an experienced estate planning attorney to help you through the process can eliminate that issue. An aspect of estate planning that is often overlooked is creating a power of attorney. A power of attorney is a document that gives authority to someone you trust to make decisions, usually financial or health care related decisions, on your behalf while you are living. Whereas a will does not come into effect until your passing, a power of attorney is used while you are alive but unable to make decisions for yourself. You can have one document granting decision-making authority over all matters to a person, or you can have different documents granting specific authority to a person or persons. For the purposes of this article, we’ll imagine two separate powers of attorney: one for financial and other matters, and one for health care decisions. With a power of attorney, your “agent” or “attorney in fact” can handle all kinds of matters, provided you have granted him or her the authority to do so in the power of attorney document. For example, your agent can manage your bank and investment accounts, transfer funds, and insurance …show more content…
Without a durability clause, your agent would have to obtain a court order to be able to make decisions on your behalf. Avoid the hassle and cost of a court hearing and get a sound document in the first place. Too often, the documents offered online at popular legal websites are deficient in this and other important ways. These “one size fits all” documents may be cheap on the front end, but you get what you pay for. They will all too often miss out on important protections that cost you down the road. From both a secular and Christian perspective, estate planning is a necessary protection for everyone. Estate planning brings peace of mind knowing that you’ve planned ahead for the good of your loved ones. From a Christian perspective, the Bible calls us to be good stewards of that which belongs to us. Peter calls for us to be faithful stewards (1 Peter 4:10), while Luke asks “if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches?” (Luke
Wiener, Lori, Elizabeth Ballard, Tara Brennan, Haven Battles, Pedro Martinez, and Maryland Pao. 2008. "How I wish to be remembered: the use of an advance care planning document in adolescent and young adult populations." Journal Of Palliative Medicine 11, no. 10: 1309-1313. MEDLINE with Full Text, EBSCOhost (accessed May 26, 2014).
As we get older and delve into the real world, it is important to start thinking about end-of-life care and advance directives. Although it is something no one wants to imagine, there is an absolute necessity for living wills and a power of attorney. Learning about the Patient Self-Determination Act and the different legal basis in where you live is important because it will help people understand why advance care directives are so important. Although there are several barriers in implementing advance care directives, there are also several actions that healthcare professionals can take to overcome these obstacles. These are also important to know about, especially for someone going into the medical field.
A living will is a type of advanced health care directive, which states an individual’s wishes for health care treatment when he/she is terminally ill. Living wills are often applied to end-of-life decision making when patients are no longer deemed competent to direct care for themselves. The form of living wills can vary widely. But, most address whether or not to use life-prolong medical treatment such as CPR, respirators, and artificial nutrition and hydration. These documents can also contain information about the importance of quality of life for patients and can name a healthcare proxy to make medical decisions in their place. Having a living will allows individuals to state their
A living will is an affirmation that you want to pass away a natural death. You do not want extraordinary medical treatment or synthetic nutrition or hydration utilized to keep you alive if there is no reasonable hope of healing. A living will offers your doctor consent to withdraw or withhold life assistance systems under certain conditions.
If I name two or more primary beneficiaries to receive a specific gift of property and any of them do not survive me, all surviving primary beneficiaries shall equally divide the deceased primary beneficiary's share unless I have specifically provided otherwise. If I name two or more alternate beneficiaries to receive a specific gift of property and any of them do not survive me, all surviving alternate beneficiaries shall equally divide the deceased alternate beneficiary's
Consider the validity and effect of the following two clauses in the will of Dan: a) ‘I leave my cottage, at 42 Drumsesk Road, to my friend Gurpreet in full confidence that he will dispose of it in accordance with the instructions given to him during my lifetime’. Just before Dan signed the will, he told Gurpreet that he had left a ‘sum of money’ in the will to Gurpreet which he wanted him to hold for the benefit of Jenny. Gurpreet witnessed the will. Jenny died two days before Dan leaving two children. b) ‘I leave my residuary estate to my brothers Ken and Sam jointly’. A few days before the execution of the will Dan gave Ken a sealed envelope, saying ‘these are some instructions I want you and Sam to carry out when I die’. Ken replied ‘you know you can rely on me – if it’s fine with Sam it’s fine with me’. A year later Sam and Dan were killed in a car accident. The sealed envelope says that Dan wanted his residuary estate to pass to his youngest son Joseph. Advise the executors of Dan’s will.
The disposition of the dead is facilitated in variety of ways because people have died at all points in history and the living have always mourned the dearth of loved ones with some type of ceremony. The way a person is buried is sometimes the deceased person’s wishes as stated in a will or legal document or it could be the decision of the family. But most times once you are dead others can do with your body as they wish.
...and medical power of attorney choices. Under the Patient Self-Determination Act of 1990, healthcare providers ask their patients about advance directives and provide information about available directives, enabling a conversation to take place between them.
are not infringed upon. A living will should be made when the patient is of
A funeral is an important event that should be planned with careful consideration, as each person only gets one to celebrate his or her life. People often die expectantly and suddenly leaving any funeral and burial arrangements in the hands of friends or relatives. These friends or family of the deceased may or may not have a good understanding of what the deceased would have preferred in his or her post death arrangements. A person planning his or her own funeral can prevent this guessing game and insure the arrangements are to their specifications.
Although healthcare providers are able to have some input in the decision making process in healthcare, they truly are not always aware of what their patients want. Only a patient has the responsibility to decide what direction according to their health that they want to go. It is a matter of choosing someone or something to lay out directives in case such a circumstance is to take place. Mo...
Death is a personal experience and to ensure loved one’s wishes, there has to be the ‘what if’ conversation. It is natural to talk about the possible end with loved ones after marriage and having children. Living wills are obtained and do not resuscitate orders, thoughts of a possible guardian for the children, life insurance, appointing a health care agent, and any other loose ends that will ensure the well being of the family. A health care agent is someone who the patient designates to make medical decisions, if decisions cannot be made generally. The chosen agent should be a person who knows the wishes on the extent of medical care treatment wanted. The appointed health care agent should be someone who is not afraid to ask questions of the healthcare professionals to get information needed to make decisions and be assertive to ensure that wishes are respected. (Healthcare Agents, n.d.).
Consider carefully prior to naming the trustee and backup trustee in the legally binding document. A specialized trust and estate lawyer will be able to provide protection for the disabled loved one. Providing long term arrangements and care for a special needs child or adult is the best decision any parent can
A power of attorney may be a family member, doctor, nurse, or a legal representative. If you are considering a legal representative, there will be a cost for the representation. This power of attorney will listen to all of the demands and inquiries you make. The surrogate decision-maker and power of attorney will have to make sure that your wishes and best interests are brought to the forefront when tragedy transpires. According to British Journal of Nursing (2013), best interests will have to, “consider the patient’s values, attitudes and beliefs.” With this being said, you are able to hear scenarios and state how you would like to be treated if you were in that situation. For example, you have the right to refuse radiation, surgery, and many other medical procedures if you are not comfortable with them. Evermore, your religion plays a major role in your documentation. If your religion is against blood transfusions, you can include this in your statement with your power of attorney for them to record it. While you are with your power of attorney, you should have another witness there. Acquiring another witness of the encounter helps to prove that the requests you have made were actually what you would want. When tragedy strikes and you are not able to defend yourself, your power of attorney will be there to make sure that your documentation and opinion will not be
family doesn't have your written consent in the form of a living will, to cease