10 key questions about wills & EPAs – answered!

What would happen to your loved ones if something suddenly happened to you?

Not surprisingly, it’s a question many of us tend to avoid.

It’s just too hard to remove the emotion from a situation where you imagine you’re not around anymore.

And making clear decisions in the best interest of those you love is difficult unless you’re able to look objectively at everything and everyone that is closest to you. That is, until you get a ‘wake-up call’. It may be an accident, an illness or something else…

But why wait for some alarming incident to prompt you into action? After all, not everyone is ‘lucky’ enough to get a wake-up call where they live to tell the tale. For some, such unexpected events don’t involve any ‘waking up’, so to speak.

Being prepared for the worst does not mean living your life with a cloud hanging over you. It just makes good sense to have in place:

• – a will,
• – an enduring power of attorney (EPA), and
• – an advance health directive (ADH).
• Who should make a will – and when?
• Do I have to involve a lawyer?
• What should I include in my will?
• Who should I choose as executor of my will?
• What is an enduring power of attorney (EPA)?
• How is EPA different from general power of attorney?
• What are advance health directives (ADH)?
• Do these documents need witnesses?
• Can I make adjustments to my will or power of attorney?
• What do I do next if I don’t have a will?