Most people need a document to state what their wishes are going to be. So, the first one that people think of naturally is a will, but sometimes we also use a trust as an alternative to a will. A will or a trust is the first thing. Beyond that, there are the documents that I say are planning for the living. That is, if you get sick and you’re unable to make decisions for yourself, you need a health care power of attorney. Likewise, if you’re unable to make decisions for yourself, you need someone who is identified to be able to make decisions for you on matters other than health care. That document’s called a statutory durable power of attorney, and it covers pretty much everything that you could do if you were ready, willing, and able to do it.

Additionally, when people have minor children, we talk to them about signing a guardianship document. That is a document to name a guardian in case something happens to them and they’re no longer able to be the parent for their parent. Beyond that, we also frequently talk to people about their beneficiary designations to make sure that in conjunction with their will or their trust, their assets that have beneficiary designations on them go the way that they want them to go to the people that they intend to have them.