As morbid as it may sound, you will definitely have to engage in some form of estate planning. Writing a will is something that you might not be comfortable accomplishing. There are definitely some morbid undertones to writing a will. As such, many individuals prefer to hire the services of a duly licensed family lawyer to either draft the will or to manage your entire estate planning.
Is a Will Not for the Rich?
Whether you like it or not, when you eventually leave this life, your wealth – properties and belongings, real or otherwise – will have to be left here and be distributed to your surviving loved ones. If you do not have a family, then any relative will have to inherit your estate. If you fail to execute a will, then the court will decide on who gets what, m-s-lawyers.com explains.
So, is a will only for the rich? Not necessarily. Every single individual who has considerable assets can benefit from careful estate planning. This is needed so that your family will avoid lengthy litigation as to who should get what and how much. By writing your will, it will only have to be executed upon your demise.
What Should You Include in Your Will?
While there are online forms or will templates that ease the accomplishment of a will, it is best to understand that there are dos and don’ts to writing a will.
- Do write what you really want including the distribution of your property.
- Do identify who will be the executor of your will.
- Do identify who will act or serve as guardians to your underage children, if any.
- Do write how you want taxes and debts be paid, if any.
- Do not write any preconditions to the gifts that you are going to put in your will. They are gifts and they should be given unconditionally.
- Do not leave any instructions for concluding arrangements.
How Do You Make It Valid?
If you are going to write your will yourself, then it is important that you affix your signature in the presence of two witnesses of legal age. In most cases a minimum age of 20 is required for witnesses. Furthermore, you have to make sure that the witnesses also affix their signatures on all pages of your will. Once this has been accomplished, do not forget to have it duly notarized, although some jurisdictions consider this as optional.
Now, if you think that it is a little bit difficult to create your own will even with free online templates, it is best to seek the help of a family law firm. That you, they will not only be helping you with your will, they can also help you with the other aspects of estate planning.