Advance Directive and Durable Power of Attorney for Health (Download)
This document only pertains to decisions regarding health care (it has nothing to do with finances). Everyone should have one, even if you’re currently in good health. I completed mine prior to my first c-section.
I remember the conversation with my mom regarding her decisions for this, and it’s important to note: While she named me as her agent to make health care decisions, she was strategic about who she named as her first alternate agent. Anyone who knows us would likely assume that would be her sister. But it wasn’t.
She actually named my husband as her first alternate agent because she knew that it was highly likely that I would be far too emotional to carry out her wishes, so instead of naming someone who may be just as emotional (her sister), she named her son-in-law. She then included her sister and her best friend as second alternate agents.
You know your people best. Take some time to consider this line of succession to ensure that your wishes are honored. We ended up not needing this document, but it’s always best to have it.
Once it’s complete, it needs to be signed and notarized.
Of course, things change. So while there should be a signed and notarized copy of these documents in your envelope(s), you should also maintain a readily-accessible electronic folder with these documents, to allow for changes to be easily made.
The folder on my mom’s computer was named “SAN’S WILL DOCUMENTS” in all caps. It couldn’t be missed. It was also saved in the iCloud documents folder, not locally on her computer. This is crucial: If anything happens to your computer (hard drive crashes, it’s lost or stolen, etc.), that folder’s contents will be gone.
And this goes back to the passwords! Because she provided that information, we were able to access her computer.