Estate planning and end-of-life planning can be extremely complex. It is also a topic area many people want to avoid because it forces us to face our own mortality and the what-ifs of life and death.

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Matthew F. Erskine is a trusts and estates attorney. Along with a Will and a Trust, the most common documents used in estate ...

In its most basic form, a power of attorney, or POA, is a legal document that gives another person the authority to make decisions on your behalf should you become unable to do so. This individual, ...

A lasting power of attorney is a legal document that appoints someone – your ‘attorney’ – to make decisions on your behalf.