But the "Until death do us part" promise involves setting the stage for one of you eventually having to deal with the death of the other. Putting the legalities of this unhappy event in place well in advance of its arrival will allow you both to make decisions together, with a clear mind and without the stress of losing a loved one bearing down on you.

Wills
A will is the first step in estate planning and should be at the top of your new married "to do" list. The first thing a will does is name your executor. This person (or it may be an institution such as a trust company) manages your property after your death, and follows the instructions you have set out in your will. After you die, the provisions of your will determine who will inherit your property, who will become the guardian of your children and who will wrap up your financial affairs.

Trusts
A trust allows you to have more control over the money you leave to someone than does your will. For example, if you leave money to a young child, it can be put into a trust and only be used for education. Or the money could be disbursed to the child when they reach the age of 18, 35 or even 50. A trust also protects the money from creditors since it cannot be taken from the beneficiary to pay debts. You can even control what kind of an account the money is put into and how it is invested.

Powers of attorney
If you are unable to make legal decisions because you are somehow incapacitated, someone will need to make these decisions for you. You need to decide who this person will be in advance. This is called giving someone power of attorney.

There are two main types of powers of attorney. A Power of Attorney for Property enables your attorney to deal with your property in the way you set out. It gives a person, or people, authority to manage your finances and other legal affairs for you if you are not capable of managing them yourself. It can be long-term or short-term and allows the party that has power of attorney to use your money to take care of you, sign your tax returns, handle your investments and other important matters.

A Power of Attorney for Personal Care, or a "living will" gives the person you designate the authority to make any personal-care decisions for you that you are mentally incapable of making for yourself. These include the giving or refusing of consent to treatment. And it gives your attorney your "unequivocal authority" to take "extraordinary measures" to either keep you alive, or not.

Directions to your executor
These "directions" are similar to a will except that they deal with items of smaller value. Through this handwritten letter -- it must be handwritten and signed -- you can designate your executor who you wish to inherit such items as dishes, art, photos and other heirlooms. This letter should be referenced in the will.