I love picking out greeting cards to celebrate special milestones for the special people in my life. I love standing in the greeting card aisle and finding a card that makes me smile, tear up a little, or laugh out loud. Lately, I have noticed that many cards for milestones such as a graduation or 21st birthday use the term “adulting” as either a noun or a verb. A cute card I read for graduation started: “And so the adulting begins.” I recall the first time I heard the term used was from the backseat of my car when shuttling my two sons and their friend to a sports practice. Their friend said, “I’m just going to get my dad to do my adulting for me.” I chuckled quietly to myself in the front seat.
There is no definition for “adulting” in the 1557-page Merriam-Webster dictionary that I received for my college graduation, which was a time before the internet was mainstream. Even now, “adulting” has not been added to that dictionary. Instead, “adulting” is identified as a word that the Merriam-Webster dictionary is watching.[1] Of course, we all know what the word “adulting” entails, but one official dictionary definition is “actions and behavior that are considered typical of adults, not children or young people[,]” such as “keeping your home clean and paying bills.”[2]
As an adult, you are building something for yourselves and your families. You build your personal finances and invest in such things as homes, other real estate, stocks, bonds and mutual funds. You save, you manage responsibilities, you set goals, achieve goals, and then set new goals. As a result of your continued, hard work, you accumulate assets to support yourself and your families and ultimately pass on a legacy to your loved ones and charities that are important to you. Through estate planning, we protect ourselves and our families by putting a plan in place to serve during our lifetimes and upon our deaths. An estate plan includes a Will, Living Trust, Medical Power of Attorney, Durable Power of Attorney, Directive to Physicians, and other documents. If you do not have a Will or Living Trust, and these other documents, it could lead to huge costs and delays and possible family fights. Estate planning does not just encompass your finances; it also includes the determination of who will take care of your children while they are minors and who will make decisions for you if you are ever incapacitated. Finally, estate planning addresses your end-of-life decisions.
To ensure that your estate plan is valid, current, and comprehensive, you should speak with an experienced estate planning attorney about your unique circumstances. In our experience, it is never too early for adults to do their estate plans, along with all their other important responsibilities such as working, saving money, eating healthy…keeping your home clean, and paying your bills.
The Dean Law Firm, PLLC, is a boutique law firm in Sugar Land practicing estate planning, probate, guardianships, and elder law. The Dean Law Firm, PLLC, has been named in the Top Five Top Estate Planning Firms by the Houston Chronicle, Reader’s Choice by Living Magazine, “Texas’ Most Outstanding Estate Planning Boutique” by Acquisition International and “Best Law Firm of the Year” by Lawyer International Legal 100.