If you think that you do not need an estate plan because you do not have very many assets, then you do not understand that estate planning is not just about your property.
There are millions of Americans who do not have very many assets that need to be distributed after they pass away. It is not the case that they are all poor. Many of them are just younger people who have not yet lived long enough to accumulate assets.
People often think they do not really need estate plans, if they are young and with limited assets. In some sense they are correct. If people do not own any real estate and do not have any other valuable property, it will not be too difficult for their families to handle their estates. However, estate planning is about more than that, as the Times Herald-Record discusses in “Everyone can benefit from an estate plan.”
Almost all estate plans today also include some legal documents that are traditionally considered elder law documents. Despite the term “elder law”, even young people need these documents because they are really about planning for disability.
That is planning for the possibility that you could have an accident or illness that does not kill you. However, it can leave you legally incapacitated, even if it is only on a temporary basis. These documents include a health care power of attorney, so someone else has the authority to make health care decisions on your behalf. It also includes a general durable power of attorney, so someone else can handle your finances, if you are unable to do so.
Reference: Times Herald-Record (May 17, 2018) “Everyone can benefit from an estate plan.”