You’ll probably find a common theme if you start asking your friends in Texas if they’re doing any estate planning — odds are that they’re not. People tend to avoid writing wills, creating trust funds, and turning over the medical power of attorney to a family member if need be. This is all so very important, so why do people avoid it?
One of the simplest reasons is that people don’t want to think about it. Doing estate planning means facing up to the fact that you’re going to pass away. Even though this is true for everyone, it also makes almost everyone incredibly uncomfortable, so they push those duties aside.
On top of that, there’s the fact that people tend to assume they are going to live until a good old age, when the reality is that unfortunate accidents and illnesses are more common than these people may want to admit. A lot of people think they’re not old enough for estate planning and that they have years left when they should really be getting things in order.
After all, it’s much better to have the estate planning done and not need it than to put it off and need it.
Finally, there are those who think that they do not have enough wealth and assets for estate planning to make sense. The reality, though, is that almost everyone has a large enough estate that plans should be put in place.
Don’t put this off for too long, even if you’re young. It pays to know what legal steps you must take to prepare for things after you pass away.
Source: Huffington Post, “Why We Avoid Estate Planning,” David Dedman, accessed May. 08, 2015