Estate Planning for Incapacity and Legacy

How do core estate planning documents shape decisions during life, incapacity, and after death?

Estate Planning for Incapacity and Legacy (formerly Estate Planning Basics Module 2) introduces the basic documents and decision points that support an estate plan, including powers of attorney, living wills, healthcare decision authority, and legacy-related planning. Learners explore how these documents operate across a person’s life cycle and why clarity matters before a crisis occurs. Through examples from The Descendants, healthcare scenarios, and legacy reflection, the module helps learners move from general awareness of estate planning documents to a clearer sense of how authority, wishes, values, and family roles may intersect.

What You’ll Be Able to Do on the Other Side

• Distinguish among key estate planning documents, including powers of attorney, living wills, healthcare directives, and legacy-related tools.

• Clarify how decision-making authority may shift during incapacity, healthcare crises, or death.

• Compare the roles and limits of a living will and a durable power of attorney for healthcare.

• Assess how advance planning can reduce uncertainty, conflict, and emotional burden for family members during a crisis.

• Articulate how legacy planning can connect wealth transfer decisions to values, purpose, charitable intentions, or family identity.

The Experience

This module combines self-paced reading, document review, podcast learning, case examples, and reflection prompts. Learners examine how powers of attorney and living wills assign or limit decision-making authority, particularly in situations involving incapacity or a healthcare crisis.

The experience is supported by practical sample documents and legacy-focused resources, including a sample power of attorney, Heritage Trust's Before It’s Too Late: The Estate Organizer Guide, and Cindy Radu's podcast with Nicole Garton “Get It Together: What You Need to Know to Organize Your Estate.” Learners also engage with podcasts from Dr. Katie Spencer, “Crafting Legacies, Unveiling Personal Narratives” and Iris Wagner’s “Family Lore, Wisdom, and Values: Transformation with Ethical Wills” to reflect on how estate planning can connect decision authority, family values, personal narrative, and legacy.

Prerequisites: Estate Planning Basics Recommended 

Estimated Completion Time: 3 hours

Featured Resources: 

  Articles

• Sample Power of Attorney
• "Heritage Trust: Before It's Too Late: The Estate Organizer Guide for Canadians, 2nd Edition" by Cindy Radu

  Videos

• Podcast from Cindy Radu entitled, Get it Together: What you Need to Know to Organize Your Estate
• Podcast from Dr. Katie Spencer entitled, Crafting Legacies, Unveiling Personal Narratives-The Tamarind Learning Podcast
• Podcast from Iris Wagner entitled, Family Lore, Wisdom, and Values: Transformation with Ethical Wills