National Estate Planning Awareness Week

Thank you to Neil Hendershot and his blog for drawing attention to National Estate Planning Awareness Week.  I had no idea the statistics were this bad:

“a 2004 survey from Lawyers.com finding that:

• 58 percent of Americans lack a basic will, generally considered to be the first document in an individual’s estate plan.
• In addition, 69 percent lack a living will or medical directive (both documents communicate an individuals wishes for medical life support if that person is terminally ill or permanently unconscious).
• Only one-in-five, or 21%, have created a trust as a part of his/her estate plan. “