A 25-year-old participating in last week’s ESPN’s X-Games suffered fatal injuries in a sustained crash while attempting a trick by snowmobile. The crash and the severity of the complications that arose from it highlight the extreme dangers that young people are often putting themselves in when seeking the ultimate thrill and glory in competition and in life.
The former X-Games champion and professional snowboarder leaves behind his brother and family, highlighting the need for these young professionals to create an estate plan should the unthinkable occur. While most people think that an estate plan with a will, durable power of attorney, or healthcare directive are for those who are older and a little nearer the need of such documents, the reality is that one never knows.
That uncertainty is precisely the reason anyone creates these estate planning documents. Life is not always fair and sometimes the worst can happen to those who feel the most invincible. By creating an estate plan, you can help ease others suffering should something catastrophic occur to you that either results in your incapacitation or untimely death.
These documents help you articulate with instructions how you are to be medically treated in the event you can’t make those decisions, and how your material assets are to be distributed should you pass unexpectedly. It can help ease the burdens of those mourning due to tragedy and ultimately help you care for those you most love when you are no longer able to care for them yourselves. That is why it is ALWAYS the right time to create an estate plan!
Source: The Epoch Times, “Estate Planning Considerations for Young People,” Arleen Richards, Jan. 6, 2013