Steps To Writing Your Will
Will writing is one of those things that far too many people put off doing. It’s most often because people just don’t like thinking about their death and if there is no death, then there’s no reason to write a will. But the fact is, we all know there is going to come a time when we pass from this world to the next. If we want to be certain that whatever possessions we have, go to those we want to have them, then it’s imperative that we write a will.
How To Write A Will
It is possible to be at your favourite coffee shop having your favourite latte or frappuccino and simply to write out your will on an available napkin. Obviously, this is far from ideal, however. Regardless of how little or how much that you have, writing a will should not be a do-it-yourself project. A Supreme Court Justice named Warren Burger probably didn’t want his legacy to be the mistakes he made when writing his own will. As a judge who sat on the Supreme Court for many years, most people would assume writing a will would be something he could do almost in his sleep.
Unfortunately, this Supreme Court judge made numerous mistakes which led to probate of his property which cost his family some additional legal fees and ultimately a half a million dollars in taxes. If someone is of average income and average means, then using an online service for writing the will is often sufficient.
If you are upper-middle-class or you are wealthy, then online services are not recommended as the distribution of your estate can quickly become very difficult. Unfortunately, the more you have and want to leave, the more complicated it becomes. In this instance, it would be best to use professional estate planning services similar to what this trust attorney in California can offer.
Choose Those You Want As Beneficiaries
Whether you write a will or not someone will get your estate. If you fail to write a will or you write it in a way that has many mistakes, then it simply means that much of your estate will go to someone you may not have wanted it to go to. Consider using services provided by Eatons or similar others to write a will online so as to avoid making such mistakes. If you have any money or you have a house or car or if you have investments or jewelry, all of these things are part of your estate. If you want your granddaughter to have those special pearls you like so much, then you’ll need to designate that person as the beneficiary of that item.
If you’re using an online service, there will be a place that is specifically for identifying the beneficiaries and any specific items you want them to receive. If you need to go quite far back in finding your beneficiaries with family members spread all over the place, then you may want to look over at this website to see how you can track them down and put them in your will. Censuses go very far back so you will be able to do a deep dive into your family’s tree and see where the branches ended up.
Choose Your Executor
This is the person that has the responsibility of making sure your will is carried out the way that you wanted it to be. For that reason, this should be someone that you trust. Once all of these things are in place, then you have the basics of a written will. While there are many other things that you can do, this is the very least you can do to make sure your property goes to the people you want it to.