A New Year’s Resolution

Meeting with your elder law attorney to discuss your estate plan should be one of your new year’s resolutions. Unfortunately, this pandemic is not over. Although we hope that you won’t become ill, it is extremely critical to have your papers ready in advance. This is because if you become ill enough that you are unable to speak for yourself. To appoint a person close to you, you must grant them permission to speak to your doctors about the treatment you want. You can also choose a trusted person to pay your bills, while you’re focusing on getting better. When executed well, these papers – powers of attorney – are powerful because they have effectively put your arrangements in place before an emergency occurs.

The best idea is to talk, in advance, with the health-care person you appoint about the kind of treatment you would want and the treatment you might decline. If you or somebody else has access to the internet, look up “The Conversation Project.” That website is full of guidance. The founder says it’s all about “what matters to you, not what’s the matter with you.”

And if the worst happens, you will have organized your property and directed whom you want to get what when you pass. That will save your heirs a lot of time and money.

There’s just one thing about new year’s resolutions. They’re easy to make, but much harder to keep. Fully one-third have already failed by the time February rolls around.

This is too important for that to happen. Be resolved, and then follow through right away. Call us for an appointment now, to make sure you have the best and most-effective plan in place before you need it.

If you need assistance in any area of elder law, please contact our Natchez office at (601) 445-5011. We would be honored to speak to you about how we can help you come up with a comprehensive legal plan covering many of the topics above so you can enjoy your senior years without unnecessary worry.