Attorneys Stephen Korshak and Lee Karina Dani

Do you need a living will?

by | Dec 11, 2017 | Estate Planning |

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If you are under the age of 50 in the Casselberry area, chances are you are still working on amassing your fortune. You may have all sorts of plans in place to help you achieve your goals. Because you are just starting to hit your stride in life, you may not feel the need to tackle estate planning at this time. But that does not mean you should not. 

No matter how young you are, estate planning is a crucial aspect of life that you do not want to overlook. Do not wait until some unfortunate event happens that leaves you unable to make decisions for yourself. Here is why you should have a living will in place until you can get around to creating your estate plans. 

A living will allows you to stay in control 

When injury and illness strike, it is often at the most inopportune and unexpected time. You never know when you may fall so ill or injured that you have no choice but to rely on others to make decisions regarding your medical care and living needs. For example, you may suffer catastrophic injuries in a car accident that leave you on life support. Do you want your family to incur additional medical costs by keeping you on life support, or do resuscitation and life support go against your religious beliefs and personal wishes? 

You may verbally instruct your family members that you do not want doctors to resuscitate you or keep you on life support, but you cannot enforce those wishes if you are unable to speak for yourself. A living will or advanced directive preserves your control over this type of situation. Once you create one, be sure to review and update it often. You should also consider establishing a power of attorney for your medical and financial affairs. 

Keep in mind that leaving behind instructions in your medical record is not enough to protect your wishes when you are unable to speak and act for yourself. Your family members can seek legal intervention to override them unless you have an advanced directive and living will in place.