Why Online Wills and Free Will Templates Might Not Work

       Online Will Writing?

You get what you pay for and this is just as true when it comes to making a will - especially if you have a slightly complicated estate.


Many people today think that you can get a will drafted for next to nothing these days, simply by logging on to a service that cranks them out, or by buying online forms.

In fact, many people even download online forms for wills off the Internet, free of charge.

That’s all fine if you’ve got a simple estate with very few items. Why pay an estate planning lawyer to draft a will that may cost more than your assets on hand, right?

But if you’re dealing with a larger estate, then drafting a will from an online template isn’t the wisest thing.

There are many reasons why it’s not wise. Let’s give you a few reasons.

Can you even give that away? 

It might be easy to bequeath an item to someone. But are you even able to give a particular item away? For example, if you own a house in joint tenancy, you might think that you can give away your half. Think again. A joint tenancy comes with a right of survivorship, which means that the other joint tenant immediately gets the house when you die.

Do you have to pay estate tax on it? 

It sounds easy to draft a will and give your items away. But what if your estate is over the estate tax exemption amount? Then what do you do? You might be saying “that’s not me, I’m not a millionaire.” But imagine this— if you own a life insurance policy and it names a spouse or kid as a beneficiary, your estate might be taxed on the payout from that policy. And that’s even if your beneficiaries are others. Many life insurance policies pay out in the millions, so that might very well take your estate over the estate tax exemption amount (which might be $1 million in 2013).

Planning with kids. 

You might not want to give everything outright to your kids, especially if they’re young. And if both spouses pass away, have you thought about how your kids will be provided for, especially if you leave them in the care of a family member? You might want to consider setting up a trust to pay for the support of your child, until he or she reaches a certain age.

So yes you can always get a cheap online download from the internet but you really need to weigh this with just how complex your estate is and how important it is to you that you have all bases covered - It may just be easier to get an expert Estate Planning Professional to do the job for you.

Source: http://newyorkestateplanningnews.com/2012/11/why-online-wills-and-free-will-templates-might-not-work.html

You can also get more information on a range of Estate Planning Advice from Divine Connections Website

Related Resources:

• New York Estate Planning Lawyers (FindLaw)
• Sample Basic Will (FindLaw)
• Mistakes Celebrities Make: The Sad Case of Gary Coleman (FindLaw’s New York Estate Planning News)

5 Reasons Why You Need A Living Will

Why Do You Need A Willl?

One thing that is certain is that none of us know the length of time we have on this earth nor how we will leave this earth - so regardless of whether you are young or old you really need to consider putting in place a Living Will.

Here we look at 5 Top Reasons why you need to have a living will in place.

 "

1. Protects You When You No Longer Can Communicate

The most advantageous part of having a living will is that it protects you in a future situation in which you no longer can communicate your wishes. If something was to happen the medical professionals in charge of treating you have a big say in what happens to you once you are in a state in which you cannot communicate what you want to be done.

2. Prevents Major Arguments Between Family Members

Having a living will prevents major arguments between family members when the decision is not up to the medical professionals in charge. The other people that have a say in what happens to you are your family members. If they disagree on what should be done with you it can cause relationship ending arguments between members of your family. This is the last thing you want happening during such a tough and difficult time. With a living will it will be your choice and no one else's. This will eliminate any argument or debate as to what should happen to you.

3. Gives You Control Over Medical Treatments/Procedures

A living will also gives you control over what medical treatments and procedures take place in a situation where you are ill to the point of not being able to communicate. In this situation a living will orders doctors to fulfill your wishes in writing. This way you take the decision out of their hands.

4. Reduce Potentially Unwanted Medical Bills for Your Family

In the situation that you get into an coma or vegetative state, a living will decides exactly what is done with you. Many people would rather die than live an additional 20 years on life-support. The reason being is because if they are on life support it will rack up enormous medical bills in which their family will have to pay. If you do not specify this, then your family may be left paying insurmountable medical bills. If you do not want to see something like this happen then you need a living will that specifies exactly what you would like to happen in a given situation.

5. Gives You Peace of Mind

Last of all, making out a living will give you peace of mind. These are designed to give you the control to prevent more bad things from happening in tragic situations. Tragic situations are hard enough and you want to know that your family as well as yourself will be taken care of properly in such a situation."

As you can see its really important that we proactively ensure that we have a Living will in place.

To find out more about getting a Living Will in place - check out Estate Planning DC's Website Here 

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Scott_Gray

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Purpose of a Living Will -- powered by ehow

How To Write A Living Will

Writing A Living Will

Most people do not understand what a Living Will is. However this can be one of the most important documents that you need to put in place as it will ensure that everything happens as you wish it to in the event that you were no longer capable of making a decision by your self for whatever reason.

Here we take a look at how you go about writing a Living Will:



"Death is the only thing we can be sure of, and this is why writing a living will is highly important. Putting it in a nutshell, you have two options: you can write the will yourself, or you can use the services of a lawyer who can save you the trouble. In this article I will explain you how to write a living will in order to leave your property to those who are dear to your heart.

How Do You Start Writing Your Will

First and foremost, before you start to design your will, you must decide whether it will be a written will or a video recording. This is an important aspect because not all states accept both versions, and each one of them has its own advantages and disadvantages.

Afterwards, you must write a list of the things you would like to be donated after you pass away. The list can contain properties (homes or land), personal belongings or money. At this point, you only have to focus on your goods and nothing more.
After you wrote the list, you need to decide who gets what. Basically, you can give your property to close family members or friends, or you can choose to make donations to charity. In the end, it is entirely up to you!

The second step is to decide on those who will receive your property. It is essential to take some time to make the best choice. Focus mainly on those who have been close to you throughout your life, but do not exclude other people who once meant something to you, such as your former wife or siblings you do not keep in touch with. You must be very specific when you write the living will, otherwise your friends and family may end up in court arguing for what they believe to be rightfully theirs.

Nevertheless, besides the instructions regarding your property, your living will should include other information as well, such as where and how you want to be buried, who will get your pets and who will get the legal guardianship of your kids (if any).
Of course, these aspects can be discussed and they do not have to be necessarily included in the will, but it is recommended to mention them because a will is an official document, which cannot be disregarded.
As stated above, you basically have two options: you can write the will on your own or you can seek professional help from an attorney. Writing a will is not an easy task, and you must not leave room for interpretation. This is why it is recommended to choose a trustworthy lawyer and an executor, which will distribute all the property after your death.

An experienced lawyer is well aware of the legal requirements for your state, and choosing a lawyer to write your living will for you can prevent unpleasant situations. On the other hand, it is vital to choose a lawyer you can trust, one with solid background experience."

In Conclusion

The above outlines the most important aspects that you must take into consideration when writing a Living Will. Once you are gone - your loved once can either experience order or uncertainty - depending on if you have a will in place or not respectively.

About Us

To Find out more about making a Living Will or general sound estate planning advice - visit Divine Connections Website Here .

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Scott_Gray

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How to Write a Living Will -- powered by ehow

The 3 Biggest Mistake With A Living Will -(Living Will)

Top 3 Mistakes  With A Living Will

Below we examine 3 of the biggest mistakes people make when putting a Living Will in place. I hope they will serve as a great reminder of what not to do to ensure you have peace of mind at the point of need.

"The three biggest mistakes are

Not Choosing an advocate for your living will.

This person need not be a medical professional, but should be a compassionate and caring person. The medical professionals will be there for your advocate to guide them in the decisions they may need to make on your behalf. When we do not choose your leave your family wondering who is to make these very important decisions. If you have made no choice of advocate, then know one will know your personal wishes. Choose today, help your family in their time of need.

Not educating the advocate about your living will.

 If you do not share the content of your living will with the designated advocate, they will not be prepared to make these important decisions if the need arises. Nothing like being given this responsibility without any notice. "Oh, by the way we found this living will and you are the designee, now, make this life and death decision for your parent." Talk about a surprise; not only is the designee surprised, you may find out that the chosen advocate does not want this distinction. Have a conversation with the chosen advocate and get them a copy of the document, too. Time may be of the essence and a copy will suffice in case of emergency.

Not getting the living will done.

The most important document for you end of life care is the living will. Delaying preparation of the living will only makes the decision making very difficult if the need arises. Being prepared is the sign of a caring and considerate person; not preparing a living will can leave a family with an awful feeling about end of life decisions. Dying is tough enough without all the very hard decisions that may need to be make at a critical time in your life. Preparing a living will is a kindness to your family members; it allows them to feel comfortable with the tough decisions that may need to be made on your behalf."
These 3 mistakes can bring unnessessary grief and heart ache to loved ones at a time when it is not really needed. Its important that you take some time to complete a Living Will. Once prepared be sure to get a copy to your lawyer and your doctor. It will surely feel like a weight off your shoulder once you have done this.

To find out more about make a Living Will  your can visit the website of the Top Living Wills experts - Divine Connections.

Curated from : http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Stephanie_M_Payne

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Living Will - Preparing For Loss Through a Living Will

This is usually a very difficult subject to raise - but can save a lot of hardship and heart ache - deciding on when and how to make a Living Will.  We look at the story of of man below who had been married to his wife for 31 years until she contracted a deadly tumor and being her career - how important it was to have made a Living Will.  

"My wife of 31 years, Lynne, lost her life to glioblastoma in 2010 following a battle lasting almost four years against the deadly disease. Glioblastoma is a stage 4 brain tumor, known for its fast-growth and recurring properties. As her family caregiver, I learned about many topics that surface during the care of someone facing a life-threatening illness. This article covers the topic of grief and how preparing a living will helped with my grief. I hope that the lessons I learned will encourage you to create a living will.

Despite all of the good intentions early in life to prepare a living will, neither Lynne nor I had done so. After her initial brain surgery and recovery, we both prepared a living will and health care power of attorney. Preparing the living will to document Lynne's advanced directives enabled us to discuss Lynne's decisions regarding the end of her life. The health care power of attorney allowed me to represent Lynne when she could not make decisions herself. The discussions we had and documenting them for legal purposes helped me significantly during the final week of her life and the weeks following her death. Knowing that the decisions I made on Lynne's behalf were those that she desired lifted a heavy weight from my heart. The doubts that surfaced in my mind following her death eased slightly, as I knew I was following her desires.
The many discussions that Lynne and I shared about death and dying during her illness were paramount to my grief recovery. Family members, who openly communicate about death, tend fare better than families with less open communication (Black, as cited in Carmon, Western, Miller, Pearson, & Fowler, 2010). One reaction to grief is personal growth. This reaction seems most predominant in those that openly communicate about their grief. Other reactions to grief include such things as anger, blame, despair, and panic (Carmon, et al., 2010). The discussions between Lynne and me helped to reduce the uneasiness we held about the dying process. In the final months of her life, I began to sense Lynne's own internal preparation for that day. My selfish nature desired that she live but she showed signs of exhaustion from the three-year battle. As I reflect on those discussions, they are some of my most treasured and valuable memories."

It is quite evident that one can not prepare or anticipate the emotions and concerns one faces when we lose some one close to us. However  preparing and anticipating a loss and planning for ahead can help in minimizing the sense of loss and greiff during this really painful period.

To find out more about making a Living Will you can visit Divine Connections website Here. 

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