BEFORE IT ARRIVES PREPARING FOR THE WORST
Keeping you and your loved ones healthy is your first priority, but have you taken steps to protect your ability to make important decisions for yourself and your family? Have you ensured that your financial and medical affairs can be taken care of in the case of an unexpected life emergency such as the current coronavirus pandemic? Look, we hope that you and your family stay healthy and safe, but in the event you or your loved one gets sick and needs to go to the hospital or self-quarantine, it is critical that you have a plan in place to address certain medical and financial matters. Who knows how much longer we will be practicing “social distancing.” This shouldn’t be a surprise ... estate planning is and always has been a very important aspect of personal, family, and asset protection. But, often it gets no priority because no one likes to think about these difficult things. Most people fail to realize that in times like these, while we self- quarantine for an uncertain period of time, the most important part of estate planning is not what happens when you pass away, but rather, what happens when you’re alive but unable to act because of incapacity or disability. If you’re self-quarantined in your home, is someone legally in place to act on your behalf? Have you appointed a durable power of attorney authorized to take necessary steps to ensure your financial affairs remain in good standing? Do you have someone who can go to the bank and ensure your mortgage is paid, deal with third parties, and take care of business so your family is protected? If you’re quarantined at the hospital, do you have a health care power of attorney entrusted to make your medical decisions in case things take a turn for the worst? Do you have someone to ensure you receive proper medical attention and can make the tough decisions about what treatment is right for you? Federal laws can prevent close family from being on the receiving end of your medical updates unless you’ve authorized them ahead of time through a HIPPA authorization. The bottom line is this: If you don’t have a comprehensive estate plan that addresses these issues, then your family, friends, and loved ones will be forced to petition the courts before they can make these decisions for you.
If you don’t have an estate plan, perhaps now is a good time, at the very least, to get your durable power of attorney and health care power of attorney. There is so much of this world that you cannot control. Through the use of estate planning tools, you can take control of something that will bring you peace of mind. These tools will allow someone else to carry on your day-to-day financial decisions and make health care decisions for you. Please get in touch if you are ready to get this handled and would like our help. And if you would prefer to handle these matters without the hassle of coming into our office, please note our firm is set up to assist you remotely. This means we can handle most things over phone, email, or video chat.
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2 | 740-314-4829 This newsletter is for informational purposes only and no legal advice is intended. Be sure to consult with this law firm if you have a specific question about your situation. And, remember Edward and Jeff don’t take any unplanned inbound telephone or in-person meetings. We believe each case deserves our undivided attention.
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