IF YOU own anything, it would be in your interest to get an Estate Planning Law Firm.
Most of the time, many people either think they don’t need an Estate Planning Law Firm, or in the alternative, believe that nothing will happen to them and they would be wasting their money to get an Estate Planning Law Firm.
Nothing could be further from the truth. An Estate Planning Law Firm is needed for two major events in ones life. While these two events can usually be perceived as tragic or negative, it nevertheless is extremely important to get an Estate Planning Law firm to assist you with these matters.
The two events which you should be aware of would be when you become incapacitated and when you die. The Estate Planning Law Firm will prepare two usual documents should you become incapacitated and the Estate Planning Law Firm will prepare two documents which are usual when you would die.
Unless you have a crystal ball and know when you would become incapacitated and know when you would die, the ONLY way which you can realistically have done what you want to have done is through
the proper Estate documents such as a Living Trust, Pour-Over Will, Durable Power of Attorney and Health Care Directive. The documents that the Estate Planning Law Firm will prepare when you become incapacitated will be the advance healthcare directive for Financial Management and the Advance Health Care Directive.
Specifically, when you become incapacitated, the advance healthcare directive will allow an agent – or somebody else to both make the financial decisions that you must make and will allow financial institutions to legally give you information and to allow you to send information to these institutions. You need to make certain that you are protected. What if you get in a car accident tomorrow, have a heart attack, a stroke, need to go to surgery, are unable to respond for some reason? All of these factors and 1000 others could cause you to be incapacitated. What if you cannot pay the mortgage or the rent or any number of bills? Proper Estate Planning will take care of all of this and will make a valid, legal and enforceable document called the advance healthcare directive for Financial Management.
As with not being able to make decisions of a financial nature when you are incapacitated,
you also need somebody to make your medical decisions. If you are in a coma, or unconscious or unable to respond or about to go to surgery, you cannot make medical decisions. You don’t want to think about how long you should stay on life support if you are in a coma or unable to respond. But somebody has to do this. If you do not properly have the Estate Planning done by preparing the Advance Health Care Directive, then if you go into a coma, you might have to be in the coma for years and you might have to drain the resources of your family and you might unnecessarily cause severe pain and suffering for your family. The Estate Planning Law Firm will prepare the Advance Health Care Directive to conform with your wishes. This will most likely include items such as how to determine when you want somebody to ‘pull the plug’, or how to donate your organs if you die or what type of medical care you want or what type of medical care you do or don’t want.
Don’t wait until it is too late. While you are healthy and alert and have your mental faculties, get your Estate Planning done.
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Brian D. Lerner is an Immigration and Naturalization Attorney. He is a Certified Specialist in Immigration and Nationality Law as Certified by the State Bar of California, Board of Legal Specialization. Mr. Lerner is married to a Filipina and has been helping Filipinos immigrate to the United States for nearly 20 years. His firm represents clients in Deportation/Removal proceedings, does Waivers, Appeals, Naturalization, Adjustments, Criminal Relief, Citizenship, Consulate Processing, Work Permits, Investment Visas and all other areas of Immigration and Naturalization Law. You can go online to http://www.californiaimmigration.us/ and get a free consultation or call us at (562) 495-0554 for an in-person office consultation.