Our Weekly Tip:
 You’re Never Too Young to Have An Advanced Healthcare Directive

Credit: keiro.org

Our Tip of the Week: It is hard to think about death when we are young and living life to the fullest. No one, however, is immune to death, and we cannot predict when and how it will strike. Therefore, it is very important to prepare and have an advanced healthcare directive on hand in a case where a serious illness or incapacitating accident prevents you from vocalizing your wishes regarding health care decisions. An advanced healthcare directive can greatly alleviate the turmoil, frustration and the guessing-game nature for your loved ones when they know exactly what you want.

How-to Suggestion: We spoke with mediator and estate planning attorney John O’Grady in 2012, who told us that “young people should have an advanced healthcare directive — they’re the ones taking all kinds of risks, riding motorcycles, jumping off of cliffs. The reality is that most people who have them are over sixty and not taking risks anymore.” This will allow loved ones to know exactly what your wishes are, regardless of how old you are when something serious might happen. The sooner you prepare — no matter how difficult it might be to think that you could die at any moment — the sooner the overwhelming stress and anxiety associated with estate planning can be replaced with a feeling of tranquility that your future wishes will be known.