Hi everyone and welcome back to Money Girls Quick and Dirty Tips for a richer life.

I'm Laura Adams.

Since this week is Halloween, I thought I'd tackle the grisly topic of death and disaster.

It's a weird issue because you don't have any need for money after you die. At least I don't think you do.

So you may not really care what happens to your earthly assets and liabilities after you're gone.

But if you want to be prepared for a critical medical emergency

that leaves you incapacitated or be remembered for making your death as easy as possible

for those you leave behind, this podcast is for you.

Next week I'll continue this spooky topic and tell you what happens to your debt when you die.

There are a few documents that everyone should have to make sure that you're as prepared as possible for the most terrible what ifs of life and death.

Like what if you're in an accident and need life support to stay alive?

What if you're mentally unable to make health care decisions for yourself?

Or what if you die and no one knows your last wishes?

As awful as it is to think about these situations, it can be even more difficult for your

family or friends if they don't know what you'd want them to do.

So it's really important to make your wishes clearly known in the event that you can't make

them for yourself. Here are five documents that everyone should have.

Document number one, a power of attorney or POA.

The purpose of a power of attorney is to give someone you trust, called your agent, the ability

to make decisions and transactions for you while you're alive.

You can always change it or even appoint more than one agent if you want to.

There are different kinds of POAs, but a durable power of attorney is the most common type.

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