ALL ADULTS NEED TO DO BASIC ESTATE PLANNING

Many Dayton residents believe that they don't need to do any estate planning. After all, they may reason, they are young, unencumbered and living paycheck to paycheck.

But that belies the reality of the situation. Estate planning is far more extensive than funding trusts and arranging for guardianship of minor children. In addition to a simple will, everyone should draft a living will and at minimum, a health care proxy and power of attorney.

The reasons that we encourage our clients to due their due diligence now in these matters is that none of us have a lease on life. You could step off the curb tomorrow and get hit by a bus. If it doesn't kill you, it could leave you in a deep coma where you can no longer make decisions about your health care or your life.

Who will determine the level of care that you will receive if you are in a permanent vegatative state? Do you want full resuscitative efforts even if prolongs your suffering, or would you prefer to be disconnected from machines and allowed to pass naturally? Who would care for your beloved pet or inherit your baseball card collection? Who will sell your car and close out your bank accounts?

These are all matters to be addressed in a few simple estate planning documents. While it is not pleasant to dwell on such morbid matters, doing so now can give you peace of mind that all has been taken care of if the worst should happen.

Call us today to learn how we can help you put your affairs in order, no matter what your future holds.