Even though thinking about death can be uncomfortable, leaving your loved ones to take care of your end-of-life matters is even worse. After all, when you die, your relatives and close friends should be free to grieve without having to put together a funeral or find a burial plot.
When you are creating your estate plan, it makes a great deal of sense to tackle the end-of-life matters that are going to arise eventually. With a comprehensive estate plan, you can keep some control over what happens after your death while showing compassion to those you love the most.
Guardianships
Your will is an excellent place to describe what you want to happen to your property after your death. If you have children or pets, though, you also may want to use the document to designate a guardian for them.
Funeral instructions
Planning a funeral can be rough. Still, if you want to have some say over how the ceremony looks, you should leave precise funeral instructions in your will. You also can indicate whether you want a traditional burial, cremation or some other form of body disposal.
End-of-life expenses
As you probably know, funerals, burials and cremations are not cheap. In fact, according to Bankrate, Americans spend an average of roughly $7,000 on funeral expenses. Because u do not want to make your loved ones foot the bill for your final expenses, your estate plan should set aside funds for paying them.
If you are young, settling end-of-life matters may seem silly. Ultimately, though, because you cannot predict the future, it is advisable to tackle these matters when you have time to think about what you want.
