At what age should I be planning my estate?

Under Colorado law you only need to be 18 years of age to execute a will. As a side note, you also need to be of sound mind.

 

There are circumstances when an 18-year-old may need to have a will even if they do not have a lot of assets. For instance, an 18-year-old could be a parent. In such an event, the 18 year old may wish to have a will for purposes of nominating a guardian for his or her minor child. This, by itself, would justify having a will nominating a guardian to act should the need arise.

 

Also, having a power of attorney naming an individual to make financial and healthcare decisions for an 18-year-old could also be important. For instance, what if an 18-year-old got into a car accident and could not make his or her medical decisions? What if a dispute arose as to who would make those decisions between parents or between parents and perhaps a boyfriend or girlfriend of the 18 year old?  The 18-year-old could eliminate this possible conflict by having his or her own medical and financial power of attorney.