Estate planning is a systematic process concerned with the management, preservation, and disposition of an individual's assets and affairs, typically enacted in anticipation of death or incapacity. As a field of study and professional practice, it investigates the principles, strategies, and legal frameworks governing the intergenerational transfer of wealth, the optimization of tax implications, the provision for dependents, and the management of personal and medical directives, aiming to ensure the orderly and efficient fulfillment of an individual's intentions.