5@55: The 5 Essential Legal Documents You Need by Age 55

Learn About the Five Essential Legal Documents You Need to Set Up by Age 55!

Many people discover too late that they need some essential legal documents to deal with common health and end of life issues. Failing to prepare these documents ahead of time can create major legal headaches that often require expensive trips to court to resolve.

Written by expert attorneys in the fields of elder law and estate planning, 5@55 is a slim, easy-to-read guide to the five most important legal documents you should have by age 55:

1. Healthcare Advance Directive
2. Living Will
3. Power of Attorney
4. Last Will and Testament
5. Authorization to Access Electronic Records and Media Sites.

These are the documents that everyone says they’ll get to “eventually.” But “eventually” all too often turns to “never.” Setting a deadline of age 55 to draft these essential documents ensures that they’ll be ready before you need them—and avoid nasty and costly surprises.

With full descriptions of each document, explanations of why you need it, and sample documents you can adapt to your own needs, 5@55 is a must-have manual for the second half of life.

Judith D. Grimaldi is a partner in the pioneering elder law firm Grimaldi & Yeung. A Certified Elder Law Attorney, Grimaldi represents the rights of the elderly and disabled, and she has special expertise on Medicare, Medicaid, health law, trusts, and wills and estates. In addition to her more than twenty years' experience as an attorney, Grimaldi has more than a decade of field experience as a social worker, which has given her a unique, first-hand perspective on the day-to-day impact of aging and disability.

Joanne Seminara is a partner in the elder law firm Grimaldi & Yeung. She has practiced law in New York and New Jersey for almost three decades. Seminara practices in the areas of elder law, estate and trust planning, including estate tax and Medicaid planning, and special needs planning. An attorney known for her thoroughness, tenacity and compassion, Seminara has experience in many other areas of practice, including residential and commercial real estate, corporate law, employment law, and land use and zoning matters.

Pierre A. Lehu has a decades-long career as a publicist, agent, and writer. He has written over twenty books, including Sex for Dummies, Sake: Water from Heaven, Fashion for Dummies, and Living on Your Own.