I'm single with no kids. Do I need an estate plan?
The short answer: yes.
Having an estate plan is a good idea no matter your family situation. But when you are single with no children, planning is all the more important to ensure your wishes are followed.
While the law provides clear “default” options in some areas when you are married (e.g., spouses often have the ability to get certain medical information), those defaults are not applicable when you do not have a spouse.
For that reason, it is important for single adults to consider both sides to estate planning: What happens to your STUFF when you die and who takes care of your SELF when you become incapacitated.
What will happen to my STUFF?
Every state has a framework (called "intestacy laws") essentially providing an estate plan by default.
In Oklahoma, for instance, if you are unmarried and have no kids, the law says that, unless you have an estate plan directing otherwise, your estate will go to your parents or, if they are deceased, to your siblings in equal shares. End of story.
That might sound fine to many people. However, intestacy laws are rigid and do not take into account other desires you may have for your property. For example: