Do Statistics Paint A Clear Picture?

When the health status of a person changes, there can quickly be a series of unexpected and tragic consequences. Pets can be hauled off to the pound once the

owner is moved to a nursing home or passes away IF prior arrangements haven’t been made. Children can end up in foster care. Insurance policies can get

canceled for non-payment if a person falls ill or suffers from dementia and fails to keep up with the bills. Houses can go into foreclosure or even be sold out from under the owner due to unpaid property taxes.

Do you have an assigned person who checks in on you? Do you keep an eye on anyone dear to you?

The COVID-19 pandemic has made us all aware of our mortality, unlike ever before. We were so unexpectedly hit by it and it affected every single one of us.

But prior to COVID-19, almost 900 people died for every 100,000 people according to the data of U.S. deaths for 2019. The #1 and #3 causes were heart disease and accidents. Either could stop you in your tracks without warning which reminds us that no one is guaranteed tomorrow.

Yesterday is past and today is a present. You never know when things will change. So many things can and do happen without warning. That’s when the chaos

begins and it’s real (bad) when it happens in your family or someone close to you.

It may seem so obvious, but the time to get everything up to date and in order is when you are healthy and cognitively sharp. Yet even with these statistics and

the firsthand experience of attending many funerals, the majority of us have failed to take action to ensure our family is not put in a panic and frenzy if the worst

should happen.

A good percentage of you have had a health setback or accident that put you out of commission for a while. Or perhaps you had a health scare. How did that

change your life? What happened to your daily routine? Were you calling and scheduling doctor visits and dealing with the insurance company and pharmacy and the lab for blood work or other tests? Did that feel so odd at first? Did anything on your busy schedule happen? Or did your life take a sharp left turn?

Whatever you’ve been through, you know how it could have turned out, but it didn’t. You are still here and you have time to get yourself organized and

up-to-date, finally!

I believe that the statistics paint a pretty clear picture. One poll that I recently saw reported the following in regard to having an estate plan in place.

(Estate Planning includes the legal documents that allow for the transfer of assets and other important documents with authorizations and details if a person

should become incapacitated or pass away. Without an estate plan in place, there is no way to transact on someone else’s behalf without involving lawyers and

the courts.)

Now for the statistics: (they are believed to be accurate – or close)

In the United States, 55% die with no will or estate plan of any kind. And almost 72% of those who have done a will, it is out of date (meaning the information is no longer correct). Imagine that. And for those in the senior citizen category (over 65 years old), 50% either don’t have a will or the one they have is not up-to-date.