Wills

Bequeath your earthly possessions

When it comes to making a will, there are many factors to consider. There is more than one type of will, and there are specific requirements that make a will legally binding. The person who creates the will is the testator, and those who will receive the property are the beneficiaries. Wills are very technical, but not without good reason. Often there is a great deal of money involved when people make a will and for all intents and purposes, people want to ensure that their money is dispersed to the right people.

According to the law, a will must meet specific criteria such as:

• The person creating the will must be at least 18 years of age.
• They must have the mental faculties to create a will.
• It must be signed by the testator and there must be at least two witnesses (sometimes three).
• The witnesses must swear and sign a statement that the testator had all of their mental faculties at the time and were not coerced into making any agreements.

Everything that is documented in the will must be concise and clear. Furthermore, if someone in the family is going to be omitted from the will, an explanation must be included.

Combined Will

When couples create a will, they often believe that they should just create one will for the both of them. This is incorrect; both should have their own wills. When couples decide to make their will together, it’s called a combined will, and when one spouse passes the will has to go through probate and will be made public information. Wills can be in probate for quite a while and if by chance the other spouse passes during that timeframe, then even more problems will likely arise. The wills of couples should be made separately but they can still be identical. This makes the entire process for all family members much easier during such a difficult time.

Living Will

There are also other types of will, such as a living will. This type of will bears great significance, as it will state how you want your last days to be carried out and will also determine how much suffering you are willing to endure. Basically, a living will gives instructions on how you want your life to be terminated in the event of a lengthy illness or an extensive injury. This covers life support as well as any other extraordinary measures or long term care that might be taken to preserve your life.

You should speak with your family and your doctor before deciding exclusively on the conditions of your living will. A benefit of a living will is that it is not quite as technical as a standard will; you can write your own without consulting an attorney. There are living will forms available online that you can print and fill out. If possible, discuss it with your family and make sure they understand why you have made these choices.