Page 52 - Senior Link Magazine Summer 2024 - Online Magazine

SENIOR RESOURCES

WHAT TO DO

WITH YOUR WILL AND

OTHER DOCUMENTS

Once You Have Them

by Lee Franks

I documents you ought to have and what to do with
started to entitle this article, “The Proper Care
and Feeding of Estate Planning Documents,”
them, but these are my thoughts.
but I decided that title was a little too facetious,
and besides, the allegory broke down too soon to be To begin with, I have all the client’s originals stapled
useful. Many people do wonder, I suspect, what to do and put into a readily identifiable, glossy folder. I
with such paperwork, and going on that suspicion, I encourage clients to keep the originals safe, make sure
decided to share what I generally tell my clients. This the relevant people know where to find them, and
advice applies primarily to the five basic documents avoid cluttering the folder with other documents. I
that I think anyone over the age of eighteen ought specifically discourage clients from lugging around the
to have—a will, financial and medical powers of originals due to the risk of losing them—especially the
attorney, a HIPPA Release and Authorization, and a will and financial power of attorney. Originals rarely
Directive to Physicians, Family, and Surrogates. Other are needed, and when they are, there is no substitute.
attorneys certainly may have other views about which This is a big reason that I provide two sets of copies in

52 Lubbock Senior Link