No one likes to think about death, but avoiding the inevitable doesn’t make it any less of a reality. Rather than be filled with anxiety and stress about the end of your life, you can give yourself and your loved one’s peace of mind by taking care of your estate while you’re still in good health. How do you imagine the final years of your life? We all want to pass on peacefully in old age, possibly in our sleep or surrounded by the people we love. No one wants to imagine leaving their families with confusion, chaos and even more pain during their mourning.
While it’s not the most enjoyable subject, end-of-life planning is important. If you’ve recently had a baby, gotten married or extended your family, then you’ll want to begin planning your will and end-of-life wishes now. This will give you total freedom to enjoy your life without worrying about any what-ifs. If you’re looking into how to plan a will, hire the will and trust attorneys from Maryland.
Think of Your Children First
Your minor children should be your top priority. If you pass away before they’re of age, who will be their caretaker? What money and assets will you leave to them, and how will these be managed? Some parents and guardians choose to leave money to a caretaker’s discretion while others protect it in a bank until a child comes of age. Your children under 18 should have a legal guardian appointed, and you should make sure that they are listed in your will. Any funds, belongings or other assets you want them to have should be protected so no one else can exploit them.
Think About Your End-of-Life Care
You may not be able to advocate for yourself toward the end of your life, so you need to clearly express your desires for care now. You can carefully review an end of life checklist to cover all the necessary bases. This will make it easier for you to guarantee that your last wishes are followed through and there’s no room for misinterpretation. As a parent, this is even more crucial. You don’t want your children to be tasked with the painful choices of choosing to end life support or other forms of care. You can decide exactly what you want to happen, giving them support even when you’re reaching the end of your life.
Preserve Your Memory
If there are any special wishes you have about how you’d like to be remembered, make sure that’s clear in your wishes. You can leave instructions for your loved ones on how to proceed with funeral arrangements after your death, and you can even make certain plans ahead of time to ease the burden on them. You can also avoid having anything you wouldn’t want to happen after your death take place by expressing your preferences ahead of time. It sounds trivial, but you can even detail what clothing you’d like to be buried in or if there are any items you want buried with you. You should also take this time to pen any letters or make videos for your loved ones. These can be a comforting gift that you have an appointed executor give to them after your passing.