Living Will

With people living longer and longer, disability planning is just as important as estate planning, possibly more so. A good estate plan contains advance directives. The most basic advance directives include a health-care surrogate and a living will.

The Living Will is a document which says that you do not want heroic measures to be used if you are in a comatose state and death is imminent. This is not a decision that you want to leave to family members who may be in a highly emotional state. By making a living will, you are taking the burden off of your family and making end-of-life decisions on your own.

When you enter a hospital, they routinely ask whether you have a Living Will. It is a good idea to take a signed copy to your doctor to have on file.