In addition to your personal and financial records, including instructions for important matters, such as your medications, how and when bills are paid, and debts you’re owed.
Organize your important papers such that the right people can access them if you have a medical emergency. This also gives you a chance to consider how you’d like to be remembered - through a service, obituary, epitaph, or any other form you choose. Planning your funeral can seem daunting, but it’s a tremendous gift to your loved ones to indicate your funeral preferences and set aside funds so they don’t have to plan while grieving. Take a moment to ensure you are registered if this is part of your end of life wishes. You must register as an organ donor if you wish to donate your organs and tissues to someone in need after your death. Some states require an advance directive, which combines a medical power of attorney with a living will. Unlike a financial power of attorney, this type of POA doesn’t give your agent access to your finances.Ī medical power of attorney only takes effect if you become incapacitated. #6 Medical Power of AttorneyĪ medical power of attorney lets you assign a trusted person - called your “agent” - to make medical decisions on your behalf if you cannot communicate your wishes. With this highly customizable document, you can designate an agent to help with a specific task, like selling property, to take over all your financial responsibilities should you become incapacitated.
#5 Financial Power of AttorneyĪ financial power of attorney (financial POA) gives a person of your choosing (called an agent, attorney-in-fact, or proxy) the legal ability to act on your behalf and help manage your financial affairs. Unlike a last will, a trust avoids the probate process, saving your beneficiaries time and money. Different types of trusts allow you to manage your estate according to your preferences. #4 Living TrustĪ living trust is an estate planning document that places your assets into a trust and designates how the assets will be distributed after your death. You can also use your last will and testament to indicate funeral preferences, especially if you want to set aside funds for service. In this document, you name an executor (and successor executors) to manage your estate based on your wishes and assign beneficiaries to inherit assets. Also called a “will” or “last will,” this document should not be confused with a living will used to document medical care preferences. #3 Last Will and TestamentĪ last will and testament indicates how you want to distribute your assets after death. Some states require an advance directive, which combines a living will and medical power of attorney. Your living will should state your preferences regarding medical treatments such as:Įven if you’re a registered organ donor with a DNR form, it’s still a good idea to repeat these preferences in your living will. Related resource: What is a DNR? #2 Living WillĪ living will indicate your wishes for end of life medical care if you cannot communicate. In other words, if you want medical professionals to allow for a natural death instead of restarting your heart or performing CPR, you and your physician should sign a DNR order.
Let’s take a closer look at each: #1 DNR (Do Not Resuscitate) OrderĪ DNR form - also referred to as “allow natural death” or “no-code” - communicates that you don’t want to receive life-sustaining treatment in the event of cardiac or respiratory arrest. The nine documents covered in this infographic complement each other to form a comprehensive end of life plan. Plan for yourself and your loved ones and create these essential end of life planning documents today: Attribution: Emily Crowley (writer) | Karin Japardi (designer) | Susan Chai, Esq (reviewer) This illustrated guide explains the nine most important end-of-life documents. Without them, your family will have to make tough decisions on your behalf, not knowing what you would have wanted. Many of us have thought about writing a will, but there are several other documents you need to cover all aspects of your end of life wishes.
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