Introducing an EPEL RA: Seth Todd

Seth Todd

My name is Seth Todd and I am a 3L research assistant for the Estate Planning and Elder Law Program.

Outside of school and work, I enjoy playing with my dogs, traveling and attending concerts. My interest in estate planning was sparked while interning for Hilliard Lyons Trust Company. I realized just how important having proper estate planning documents was to aging. This also happens to be something that most people don’t have in place!

If you don’t have proper documents in place, especially in Kentucky, you are essentially leaving everything up to the government and the courts. Personally, I try to have the government and the courts involved in my life as little as possible. Knowing that they could have a say in who controls my assets while I am incapacitated or after I pass doesn’t sit well with me.

I recently heard that one in two people will have severe Alzheimer’s disease by the time they are 85. Think about that: Based on the numbers, you or your spouse will have Alzheimer’s disease. Even more mind-boggling is that if you do not have a proper power of attorney in place, a judge will appoint a guardian who will essentially have control over your affairs. While we like to think the government always has our best interests in mind, I would not like to leave that to chance! This is just one of the reasons I believe everyone should have proper estate planning documents in place.

Keep checking back to stay up to date on the happenings of EPEL, and how we are combatting today’s issues in estate planning and elder law.