10/11/2026
👰🏼♀️🤵🏻♂️ “We’re married. My spouse can handle everything… right?”
Marriage comes with plenty of perks, but an all-access pass to every medical and financial decision isn’t one of them. Meet Sarah and Mike - a fictional couple who share a home, a child, and an ongoing disagreement about the correct way to load the dishwasher. Here’s how three important documents could help them:
1️⃣ Healthcare directive
After a serious accident, Sarah can’t communicate. Documenting her preferences and naming Mike as her healthcare decision-maker gives him guidance and authority when she can’t speak for herself.
2️⃣ Durable financial power of attorney
Mike becomes seriously ill and can’t manage his finances. Sarah needs to handle bills and transactions involving an account held only in his name. Being his wife doesn’t automatically give her authority to manage it. A durable financial power of attorney can authorize Sarah to handle those matters while Mike is unable to.
3️⃣ A will or a trust
Sarah and Mike worry about who would raise their daughter and manage her inheritance if both parents died. Their wills can nominate a guardian. A properly established and funded trust can name someone to manage their daughter’s inheritance, pay for her needs, and distribute money according to their instructions.
☎️ Talk with an estate planning attorney about what fits your family. And once the paperwork is done, tell the right people where to find it. “Probably in that drawer” is how a scavenger hunt begins.
