Tag Archives: Living Will
Creating a Living Will
What is a living will? Creating a living will ensures your future healthcare decisions and plans are respected. A living will, also known as an advance directive, is a legal document outlining medical treatment preferences and end-of-life care if you can’t communicate or make decisions for yourself. Everyone should have an advance directive, as… Read More »
Ten Facts to Understand about Living Wills
A living will is not a last will and testament used to pass your assets and property after you die. Instead, it is a mechanism to communicate to your family and doctors how you want medical care conducted when you aren’t able to convey your wishes. Living wills are an essential part of an… Read More »
The Risks of DIY Wills
There has been an explosion in the numbers of Americans rushing to make their will online. Understandably, the coronavirus pandemic has created the scramble to set up wills and end-of-life-directives. However, online do it yourself wills, (or “DIY wills”) are often deemed invalid as they do not comply with all of the legal requirements… Read More »
Why a Living Will is Important
A living will is a legal document that lays out your preferences for life-sustaining medical treatment. It is often accompanied by a health-care proxy or power of attorney, which allows someone to make healthcare decisions for you when you are incapacitated, and the living will does not have specific instructions for the situation at… Read More »
6 Steps to Ensuring Your End-of-Life Wishes Are Met
Contemplating our own death is one of the hardest challenges we will ever have to face. Yet, if we want our dying to be meaningful and merciful, it is imperative that we think about it while we still can. Part of doing so involves thinking through our end-of-life wishes. For most of us,… Read More »
4 End-of-Life Documents You May Need
You may think your living will is in order, including instructions regarding resuscitation commonly referred to as a DNR (do not resuscitate). While your wishes in a living will may be appropriately documented, that does not guarantee the instructions will be carried out as you stated. The frightening truth is that mistakes regarding your end-of-life… Read More »
9 Tax Prep Questions That Will Help Organize Your Estate Plan, Too
It’s the start of a new year, which can only mean one thing: time to start your tax prep. This tax season comes with dramatic changes to the Internal Revenue Code, and this year’s April 17th IRS filing deadline is just around the corner. Soon you’ll be receiving tax forms, such as your W-2… Read More »
Legal Planning to Address Alzheimer’s Disease
After procrastinating for several years, you decided to engage an estate planning attorney to prepare your estate plan. Now that the plan is completed, where do you store your Advance Directive /Health Care Power of Attorney, Living Will and HIPPA Authorization so that they are available in an emergency? At McDonald Law Firm, we… Read More »
It’s Not Just About Death and Taxes: The Essential Legal Documents You Need for Incapacity Planning
Comprehensive estate planning is about more than your legacy after death, avoiding probate, and saving on taxes. It must also be about having a plan in place to manage your affairs if you become mentally incapacitated during your lifetime. What Happens Without an Incapacity Plan? Without a comprehensive incapacity plan in place, a… Read More »
