Many people think that they should have a will but not everyone has gotten around to writing one. At least 57% people who do not have a will planned out say that they, “just haven’t gotten around to making one.” That is too bad because drafting a will does not have to take a long time. Many people find that they are able to finish theirs in between 10 and 15 minutes. Elder law experts and estate planning lawyers say there are a number of reasons people should take the time to write a will. Here are a few reasons to take the time to work out your will:
- You can pick who will execute your will. Picking the person whom you want to take care of things for you after you have passed away is one of the most important reasons to write up a will. If you do not take the time to choose someone to take care of things, that decision will be left up to the court system. Many people do not want the important decisions to be made by someone who does not know them. Elder lawyers say this is one of the best reasons to draft a last will and testament.
- A good will can prevent your family from getting into fights over your stuff. Everyone thinks that their family would never resort to arguments and disputes over money and someone’s belongings after a member dies and they are almost always wrong. People change when there is a lot of money on the line or if there are expensive possessions that everyone wants to get access to. You can prevent a lot of this by being as explicit as you can in our will. This makes it a lot easier on your family. If you plan to exclude someone, this may sound mean, but you should include that information. If you just do not mention them, they may think you just forgot to bring them up and they can challenge the will because of that.
- A will can help your family move on. Dealing with someone’s estate is never fun. It is worse when there is no written document to help people use as a guide for what they should do with your belongings after you are gone. You can make the process of grieving after your death a lot easier for the people who care about and love you if you have a clear will that they can follow. When wills go to probate, it all gets very complicated and can be painful for everyone involved. That is pain that you can save them from when you make those decisions for them.
- You can make some donations to charity. Many people have charities that they want some of their estate to go to after they pass on. This is done for a few reasons. Of course, if you really care about a cause, you may want to help them. The other good thing you can do is reduce the amount of taxes that have to be paid by your estate by making some donations, of cash or items, to a non-profit organization.
- Just having a will can reduce the amount that has to be paid to the government. This is one reason to go to an expert in elder law or in estate planning. There are ways that lawyers can draft a will to lower the tax burden your estate will face. This is one of the very best reasons to get professional help with your will.
- You can designate who will raise your children. If you have children who are still young enough to need guardians, having a will is really crucial. Of course, you need to talk to the people with whom you would like to leave your children but to codify your wishes legally by getting them into your will.You do need to make sure your friends or relative whom you want to raise your kids are on board with that.
Experts in elder law and estate planning say that as unpleasant as it may seem to put together a will, it will make everyone’s lives easier should something happen to you.