Estate Planning Documents Explained
When I first arrived at Slonim Law I knew absolutely nothing about Estate Planning. I knew wills existed but I had no idea about the seriousness of them or how incredibly useful everything included in the Estate Planning bundle is. I’m here now to explain, in laymen’s terms, what each document is and what it does.
- Last Will and Testament – This is the one everyone knows about. This allows you to express your wants and needs after passing. For example, burial instructions and how to distribute your estate.
- Durable Power of Attorney – This is also commonly known. This document lets you appoint someone to make decisions for you in legal or financial matters. You specify what power you’d like someone to have. This one does not terminate if you become mentally incapacitated. It is effective immediately after execution.
- Health Care Surrogate- this document allows you to choose who to authorize to make medical decisions for you when you are unable to.
- Living Will – This helps you state your wishes for end-of-life medical care. For example, if you want DNR (do not resuscitate) measures in place. This is also sometimes called an advanced healthcare directive.
- Pre-Need Guardianship- a PNG lets you select who you would like to take care of you incase you are ever in need of a legal guardian.
When it comes to Estate Planning it is easy to see how things can get confusing. I definitely can now understand the need for an Estate Planning Attorney. Here at Slonim Law all you have to do is set up your appointment with me and then we will take the reins. We are all here to help make this an easy process for you. We hear time and time again how necessary these documents are, so hopefully this breakdown helps you to understand which ones will best fit your needs! Talk to you soon.
-Barbara – Office Coordinator