Estate Planning Lawyer

You probably don’t like to think about needing a will. No one does, but when the inevitable happens, your family will be glad you did. A will is your way to tell your family what your wishes are concerning your estate. The executor of your will makes sure that your wishes are carried out. Here are five reasons you need a will.

Who Gets Your Stuff?

In most cases, a spouse inherits your belongings when you die. If you have anything special that you want to give to a friend or family member outside the direct family, without a will, those wishes won’t be known. Without a will, the court decides who gets your stuff. There are rules that the court must adhere to. Your will lets you give your belongings away to who you want. Hopefully, your will prevents arguments over who gets the baseball card collection or your truck.

Avoid Problems in Probate

Whether you die with a will or not, your estate gets submitted to the probate court to oversee the distribution of your estate. A will helps your beneficiaries avoid problems with probate court. A will helps your estate move through the process, which lets your heirs get on with their life without having their inheritance delayed.

Make Sure Your Kids Are Taken Care Of

You may not have a lot of belongings, but if you have kids, a will can be the most important document for them. In your will, you can name a person to be guardian over your children until they turn 18. The court picks the guardian if you don’t.

You Can Give to Your Favorite Charity

If you don’t have a will, the court uses their rules of inheritance to determine who gets your assets. Charities are not named in this list. If you want to support your favorite non-profit after death, you need a will to let the court know your wishes.

Your Executor Oversees Your Wishes

In probate court, the administrators are more concerned with your valuable assets, but that’s not the extent of your estate. A court-appointed executor may not care about your family photos or social media sites, but a named executor in your will is going to be concerned about those details because your executor cares about you.