Most of us don't spend much time thinking about what would happen if tomorrow we suddenly could not make decisions for ourselves.

We think we have time.

Maybe you are single, successful, and fiercely independent - almost to a fault. You think nothing is going to happen to you. You are in complete control.

Until one day, something does happen.

And suddenly, you are not nearly as prepared as you believed you were.

Or maybe you are married with children and spend most of your time worrying about everyone except yourself. The thought of who would take care of your children if something happened to you may have crossed your mind, but you haven't actually sat down and made a plan.

Perhaps you are somewhere in the middle, helping your children while beginning to worry about your own parents. Or maybe you are 75, healthy, independent, and managing your life exactly the way you always have.

Your planning needs may be different at each stage. But the need to plan is not.

Things happen.

An accident. A stroke. An unexpected diagnosis. An illness that temporarily leaves you unable to communicate.

The question is: Who gets to make decisions for you if you cannot make them yourself?

Planning Is Not Just for Older People

We tend to associate powers of attorney, advance health-care directives, trusts, and incapacity planning with old age.

That is a mistake.

At 30, the concern may be who can handle your affairs if you are seriously injured or hospitalized. At 45, you may have children, a mortgage, retirement accounts, and a business or career you have spent years building. Later, the questions may include long-term care, remaining at home, protecting assets, and who should help manage your affairs if your abilities change.

The plan changes with your life, but the objective is the same:

You decide what you want while the decision is still yours to make.

Planning Can Protect Your Independence

Some people resist powers of attorney and other planning documents because they view them as giving someone else control.

I understand that.

You have managed your own money, made your own medical decisions, raised a family, bought property, built a business, or simply lived your life on your own terms.

Why would you want to give that independence away?

But planning does not necessarily mean giving away control. You choose who you trust to speak for you about medical care and who should handle your financial affairs if you need help.

What Happens When There Is No Plan?

I have seen what can happen when someone fiercely values his independence but waits too long to plan. Consider an older gentleman who had managed his own life and finances for decades. He owned property and had accumulated substantial assets. His family knew he was aging but assumed that if he ever truly needed help, they would step in.

What they did not know was that a government social-services agency had already become involved. Then one cold day, he was found wandering outside without shoes. At that point, intervention was necessary, and guardianship proceedings were initiated. His family wanted to serve. There was little disagreement about family members making decisions concerning his personal care. His property and finances, however, became another matter.

Because his estate was substantial, the government took the position that managing it was too complicated for his family and advocated for someone outside the family to control his property and finances.

The family disagreed. They retained counsel and fought. Ultimately, they prevailed. But it took a contested court proceeding, attorneys, time, and considerable expense to get there. Not every family has the resources to fight.

When Guardianship Becomes Necessary

Guardianship can provide an essential legal protection when someone can no longer safely make necessary decisions and adequate alternatives are not available.

But for many families, a court-supervised guardianship is far from ideal.

Once a guardianship proceeding begins, these are no longer exclusively private family decisions. The court determines whether a guardian is necessary, what authority that guardian will have, and who will serve.

And the court's involvement does not end once the guardian is appointed.

A guardian may have to return to court before selling or mortgaging a home or making other significant financial decisions. Purchasing an expensive item, such as a vehicle, may require court approval. A guardian of the property must keep detailed financial records and account to the court for money coming into and going out of the person's estate.

The oversight can extend to very personal decisions. A guardian of the person must report where a loved one lives, his or her medical condition, and the care being provided. Even moving a loved one from one type of housing to another may require court approval.

The list goes on.

For families accustomed to handling their affairs privately, that level of court involvement can be difficult. Decisions about Mom or Dad's home, money, medical care, and even where they live may now be subject to court supervision.

And I am willing to bet that most people, if given the choice, would not want that level of court involvement in their lives.

Good planning cannot guarantee that guardianship will never be necessary. Sometimes it is. But powers of attorney, advance health-care directives, trusts, and other planning tools can create alternatives that may avoid guardianship or reduce the authority a court-appointed guardian would need.

Your Plan Should Fit Your Life

There is no single plan that is right for everyone.

Depending upon your age, family, assets, and circumstances, planning may include a durable financial power of attorney, an advance health-care directive, a will, appropriate trust planning, beneficiary designations, or other protections.

The plan that makes sense at 30 may not be the plan you need at 50, 65, or 80. Life changes. Your family changes. Your finances change. Your health may change. Your plan should change with you.

Make the Decisions While They Are Still Yours

None of us knows what will happen tomorrow. That does not mean we should live our lives worrying about everything that could go wrong. It means we make reasonable plans for the things we can control.

Planning for incapacity is not about assuming that you will become incapacitated. It is about deciding what you want to happen if there comes a time when you cannot make or communicate those decisions yourself.

Planning does not mean giving up your independence. It means making your own choices now, so that if life happens and you need someone to step in, the person helping you is someone you chose and trust.

If you have been putting off your planning because you think you are too young, too healthy, or simply have plenty of time, this may be the right time to start the conversation. We can help you develop a plan that makes sense for where you are in your life today and can change as your life changes.