Robert was a retired schoolteacher who came to see me after his wife had a stroke. She recovered well, but the experience left him shaken — and unprepared. During the weeks she was hospitalized, he had struggled to make medical decisions on her behalf, access their shared accounts, and communicate with her doctors. Nobody questioned that he loved her. But love doesn’t grant legal authority.
He didn’t want their kids to ever face what he’d faced. So he came in to get everything in order — for both of them.
What Robert needed wasn’t just a will. A complete estate plan is really a set of documents that work together, each one covering a different part of your life.
The will handles what happens to your belongings after you’re gone. But the power of attorney handles what happens while you’re still here — if you’re ever incapacitated and can’t manage your own finances. Without one, even a loving spouse may need to go to court to act on your behalf.
The medical power of attorney names someone to make healthcare decisions if you can’t speak for yourself. The directive to physicians — sometimes called a living will — tells your doctors what you do and don’t want when it comes to life-sustaining treatment. And the HIPAA authorization allows your family to simply talk to your doctors.
Five documents. Each one a different kind of protection.
Robert left our meeting with all five in place for both him and his wife. On his way out, he stopped at the door and said, ‘I wish we’d done this thirty years ago.’
You don’t have to wait for a wake-up call. The documents exist precisely so your family doesn’t have to figure things out in a crisis.