A Primer on End of Life Planning

End of life planning is a necessary evil. No one wants to think about death, much less plan for it.

Some folks think if they don't draft a will they will somehow, mystically prolong death. Others feel the same way about purchasing life insurance as if estate planning or purchasing life insurance becomes a jinx leading to an early death.

Of course that is nonsense.

Yet an estimated 70% of Americans either do not have an estate plan or have one that is outdated and may not even be legal.

Four documents that everyone needs as part of an estate plan include a testamentary will, a health care directive (living will), health care proxy (in some states the proxy can be incorporated into the directive) and powers of attorney.

This article addresses two of those documents and the emotions that are involved in advance planning.

This is a must read.

I was glad mom decided to tackle this delicate piece of estate planning -- whether she was facing a medical crisis or not. Although I suspected my mom shared my views on end-of-life care I wasn't entirely sure, and I knew it would be a relief to have her wishes in writing. And by designating someone to speak for her in the event she couldn't, it should help to ease any family conflicts over who would ultimately be responsible for making tough decisions.

Should being the operative word. Mom's medical directives made her wishes about medical treatment clear, but emotions ran high when one of her health-care choices unintentionally rekindled a long-simmering family conflict.