Taking control of your financial and legal security as a woman is imperative.
Having your bases covered is not only smart for yourself and your own protection, but also that of any loved ones who may be affected. We connected with Rose A. Coonen, Founding Attorney at Coonen Law, PLLC, to get her insight into the five legal documents she believes every woman should have.
Coonen explained that all the documents summarized below are critical because they allow women to stay in control of their own decisions—even when they're not able to do so themselves—and ensures the right person is in the right role to help.
1. POWER OF ATTORNEY FOR FINANCES
"This is an important document because if she becomes incapacitated, it appoints someone to handle her finances, access her bank account, pay her bills, and manage any businesses she might own," Coonen explained.
2. PATIENT ADVOCATE DESIGNATION WITH LIVING WILL PROVISIONS
"This names someone who can make medical decisions if she is unable to," Coonen said. "It allows someone to consent to and withdraw treatment, hire medical professionals and consent to anatomical gifts, if she so desires. It also allows her to make sure her wishes are honored when she might be able to voice them. She can spell out her end-of-life choices as to whether she wants life prolonged if she has a terminal illness, is in a vegetative state or is in a coma with little to no likelihood of regaining consciousness."
3. HIPAA AUTHORIZATION
"HIPAA Authorization opens the lines of communication between the people listed in the authorization and medical personnel," Coonen shared. "This allows the individuals named in the authorization to talk with doctors and allows a woman to control who should and shouldn't have access to protected health information."
Coonen noted that by having this authorization (along with documents 1 and 2), you wouldn't need a guardian or conservator appointed by the court because you've already given certain people authority to act on your behalf should you become incapacitated.
4. A WILL
"A will is important to make sure you're appointing who will be in charge of estate administration upon your death, i.e., who will gather your assets, pay all creditors and final expenses, and then make distribution to heirs and devisees. It also spells out where assets are going (family, friends, charity, etc.)."
5. REVOCABLE LIVING TRUST
"A revocable living trust is an important foundational estate planning document designed to avoid the cost and delay of probate administration upon death," Coonen explained, noting that with a trust, a woman can also provide control over assets for beneficiaries who might be minors, developmentally disabled, or financially immature.
"Assets can be held in a trust for the beneficiaries' benefit and distributed to them at a later date when they are older and financially mature. It can also provide asset protection for beneficiaries who might go through a divorce, lawsuit or just make poor financial decisions. A trust can also keep everything private, as opposed to public record, like probate administration does."
Ideally, Coonen said, these documents should be obtained from an estate planning attorney who can provide counsel and guidance, in addition to custom-drafting those documents with an individual's goals in mind. They should also be reviewed at least every two years.
"Estate planning isn't a 'set it and forget it' thing," Coonen stressed. "Simply having a binder of documents can give someone a false sense of security as laws, family dynamics, assets, and goals change. Additionally, anytime there are any births, deaths, marriages, divorces or a substantial change in assets, a plan should be reviewed."
Coonen wished more women understood that at a certain point, it does become too late to create a plan.
"Procrastination is the biggest risk to protecting one's legal and financial future," she said. "Many times we see women who aren't sure who they want to appoint to certain roles, so they delay thinking about it."
It's helpful to remember that your plan can always be changed in the future if your mind changes, so it's best to get the ball rolling.
"Once someone is incapacitated, it's too late and with nothing in place, the court will make decisions on their behalf," Coonen said. "And while documents are an essential part of any estate plan, they alone aren't always sufficient. Having a trusted advisor who can help walk through everything with you will help keep the family out of court and out of conflict if the unthinkable happens."
Written by Sarah Suydam, Managing Editor for West Michigan Woman.
This article originally appeared in the Aug/Sept '25 issue of West Michigan Woman.
