When people think about estate planning, "death" tends to come to mind, but what about "life?" While people generally understand the importance of having a will, knowing that a will sets forth how the estate will be managed after death, they also ought to recognize that they should plan for how their personal and financial affairs and medical decisions will be handled in the event that a lifetime disability leaves them unable to act for themselves.
A durable power of attorney is essential to provide that function for personal and financial matters, as is a living will for medical matters, and each should be part of every comprehensive estate plan.
