Dead or Alive: What Estate Planning Documents Help When Someone Is Sick and What Only Works After You Die?

Most people think estate planning is simply deciding who gets their assets after they die. In reality, a complete estate plan answers two very different questions: who can help if you’re still alive but unable to manage your affairs, and who takes over after you’re gone. In this episode, Nick breaks down the key documents that apply during life versus after death and provides a practical roadmap to understanding the complete estate planning picture.

Here’s some of what we discuss in this episode:

🔍 Planning for Life: Powers of attorney and medical decisions

📋 Financial Authority: Who can act on your behalf

🏥 Medical Directives: Making healthcare wishes known

🛡️ Trust Protection: Planning for incapacity and inheritance

📜 Wills & Guardianship: Decisions after death

Go Inside the Episode:

0:00 – Intro

0:38 – Estate planning involves life and death

2:34 – Powers of attorney and incapacity planning

8:51 – Trusts and planning for incapacity

10:55 – Wills, guardianship, and inheritance planning