Young people tend to think they are invincible. They take more risks than more mature people, which, sadly, increases the chances of them being incapacitated and unable to make decisions about their own medical care. The only way for a person to get the type of care they truly want is for them to have an advance directive or living will. Although this might seem unnecessary or even morbid to young people, they are the ones who will most likely benefit from it.
When a person is in a serious accident and doesn’t have one of these estate planning documents on file, family members have to make medical decisions on their behalf. In many cases, these family members unintentionally act in their own self-interest rather than do what’s in the best interest of their loved one. A person who would not want to be on life support might be hooked up to machines simply because their spouse or parent doesn’t want to let them go. This can be avoided by hiring an estate planning attorney in Bel Air, MD, such as Michael S. Birch, Attorney at Law, and putting these types of wishes in writing.
Young adults tend to delay estate planning because they don’t have a lot of assets or if they do own a home, they don’t have a problem with transferring everything they have to their spouse. This mistake could be very costly if the estate has to go through probate. An estate planning attorney in Bel Air, MD could explain the benefits of setting up an estate plan to help a client avoid causing stress to their family in the event of their untimely death. This plan can be reviewed and adjusted over the years, so it always accounts for the person’s current circumstances. Some events that might lead a person to amend their estate plan include marriage, divorce, a birth of children and purchase or sale of assets.
Estate planning is merely one aspect of growing up. Visit the website for information about planning for the future. With an estate plan in place, a young adult may have one less thing to worry about so they can focus on doing all the things they enjoy in life.
