Estate planning is not just for older or wealthy people. Younger people, especially those with minor children, need to have an estate plan in place in order to give instructions to their loved ones to follow in the event of a debilitating accident or untimely death.
You may recall the media circus surrounding Terri Schiavo's unexpected incapacity. In 1990, Terri Schiavo certainly did not anticipate slipping into a coma when she was only twenty-six year old. She did not have a Living Will and/or an Advanced Health Care Directive in place which led her husband and parents to fight over her medical care and ultimate wishes for the next 15 years.
In all, the Schiavo case involved 14 appeals and numerous motions, petitions, and hearings in the Florida courts; five suits in federal district court; Florida legislation struck down by the Supreme Court of Florida; federal legislation (the Palm Sunday Compromise); and four denials of certiorari from the Supreme Court of the United States.
With proper estate planning in place, the fight over Terri Schiavo could have been avoided.