Estate Planning

Independence

By Gregory Herman-Giddens

I'm down in Amelia Island Florida this weekend for a Florida Bar Tax Section meeting.  Today is a day off for many, and will be an afternoon off for me, as I head to the pool and then a movie with the family.

However, it's been a while since I blogged, and I wanted to write a brief note as we approach July 4th.  Our nation has been a free state now for well over 200 years, officially starting with a legal document, the Declaration of Independence.

Individuals can help assure their own independence, too, in a manner of speaking, by making sure that they have important legal documents of their own.   In the event of incapacity, whether temporary or permanent, Living Trusts, Durable Powers of Attorney, Health Care Powers of Attorney, Living Wills and HIPAA Authorization forms can all help avoid the necessity of being declared incompetent and having a guardian appointed.  Choosing the person to handle your affairs and making advance instructions about what you want and do not want will ensure that you maintain a certain level of dignity and independence from the court system.  You should be in charge, or the individual you choose as your representative, not the judge.

Choose independence, just as our forefathers did.

Full post as published by North Carolina Estate Planning Blog on July 03, 2009 (boomark / email).