Have you made a will?

[qtwns]

DH and I each made ours up a few nights ago. It's just a basic do-it-yourself from the internet but it was free and now we just have to get two witnesses to sign them and get them notarized. Fortunately, a friend of ours is a notary so we'll just have her and her husband sign also. The hardest part was who to leave guardianship of the kids to. There's no grandparents and DH and I are best friends so no real close friends either.

What did you use on line? I've started a couple of times to do this, but get overwhelmed. Was it easy to do/understand? TIA!!

 

[PrincessKsMom]

We went in and updated our wills when DH was diagnosed with cancer. I am so glad we did that as things would be a total mess right now. He passed away June 3rd and it would be harder on me to handle that on top of everything else.

I guess now I will have to go in and have mine updated again. *sigh* But it is so worth it to have peace of mind, especially with the kids.

We do not, and with the tragedy our extended family experienced in the last 10 days it is something we need to consider sooner rather than later.

I'm so sorry for your losses.

 

[IDoDis]

We went in and updated our wills when DH was diagnosed with cancer. I am so glad we did that as things would be a total mess right now. He passed away June 3rd and it would be harder on me to handle that on top of everything else.

I guess now I will have to go in and have mine updated again. *sigh* But it is so worth it to have peace of mind, especially with the kids.

Oh, I'm so sorry to hear of your loss. My heart goes out to you and your family.

 

[4nana]

We went in and updated our wills when DH was diagnosed with cancer. I am so glad we did that as things would be a total mess right now. He passed away June 3rd and it would be harder on me to handle that on top of everything else.

I guess now I will have to go in and have mine updated again. *sigh* But it is so worth it to have peace of mind, especially with the kids.

We do not, and with the tragedy our extended family experienced in the last 10 days it is something we need to consider sooner rather than later.

I'm so sorry to hear of your sad losses and send prayers at this difficult time.

Yes, we did our wills soon as we had children. Over the years as things change we update them. Sadly in our golden years we've loss some family members and many friends, with each we are reminded we really need to be sure all is in place for the sake of our children and their families.

 

[HSMndLKfan92]

Nope - I'm 16, but it's come across my mind. I think right now I'm just a little too young to think about it.

 

[golfgal]

Nope, at this point in time, I don't see the need.

We don't own a home and we don't have kids. We both work and we each have insurance with the other listed as the benefactor.

(but if anyone has a reason to persuade me, I'm listening! I've learned a lot on these here boards.)

I can! If you do not have a will, everything with his name on it will have to go into probate. While it is nothing major, it is something that takes time and not something you should have to go thru. That is one thing our attorney made sure to point out to us, also to have both of our names on all accounts and anything with a title.

Also a good point. We don't mix money (and we've never had a money argument) but we should have each other's names on our cars.

Even if you don't mix money you should have each other listed on all of your accounts. If your DH dies, for example, and you are not listed on his accounts you will not have access to his money, nor will you be able to make any changes to those accounts. Having a will does not help this situation however as a will cannot distribute your money, you need a trust for this but even then unless the account is set up properly your will and/or trust is useless.

One example is a divorce situation. Say husband and wife take out insurance policies, get a diverse 10 years later, DW remarries but never changes the beneficiary on the life insurance-but lists new DH as "getting everything" in the will-the ex-DH will still get all the life insurance money because that trumps a will/trust.

Now, doing a will online is all well and good as long as you understand all the laws in your state pertaining to how wills are set up, assets distributed, etc. Doing it wrong could mean financial disaster for your surviving spouse-estate tax issues mostly. I just think this is something you are better off getting the advice and experience from an expert about.

 

[bicker]

We have wills; they're MS Word files on our respective laptops. However, they've never been witnessed or whatever it is that is necessary to make them legal.

 

[Green Tea]

We have wills; they're MS Word files on our respective laptops. However, they've never been witnessed or whatever it is that is necessary to make them legal.

Then no, you don't have wills.

 

[bicker]

 

[justjudy]

We made our wills about 20 years ago, but really need to update them. We also need to make living wills, etc.

 

[anniemae]

question-do you need a lawyer to do a will????

Someone said they did it free on the internet and just had to get it notarized, is this legal?? It seems too easy.

 

[bicker]

Absolutely legal. As you can see, above, some people don't think that is a good idea, while others believe it is.

 

[mumom95]

We have both a will and each have a living will (I think that's what it's called, has to do with life support and those kinds of decisions).

Both my parents died (at seperate times) without a will. I really wasn't as big of a deal as you would think it would be, of course, both kids were grown. When my dad died, everything automatically went to my mom because she was his wife. When my mom died, she didn't have a will, but she did have my sister and I listed as beneficiaries on everything, so none of that had to go through probate for us to get it. The house did have to go through probate, but that wasn't that big of a deal.

I would still recommend having a will, especially if there are minors involved. But, in my experience, not having one doesn't make things a nightmare. Of course, there were no issues between my sister and I and we had no problem splitting everything 50/50, so I'm sure that helped.

 

[Mom2Ashli]

I thought that anything that was notarized and/or witnessed was completely legal. Maybe it depends on the State you live in.

I think people don't like the do it yourself/internet or software based kind because they are afraid they are going to miss something that a lawyer would tell them. Setting up a Trust for your kids, selecting a trustee to oversee the money, and guardianship of your minor children.

 

[Green Tea]

Yes, you can do your own will and it will be legal. You need to read the rules specific to your state. I had one I had handwritten prior to having an attorney do a real one.

It has to be signed (leaving a word document on your PC doesn't count-anyone can type) and likely notarized and witnessed.

Only leave one signed copy to keep though. Otherwise if you change it later, then there are various wills the estate can pull up and it can lead to confusion.

 

[AristocatFan]

What did you use on line? I've started a couple of times to do this, but get overwhelmed. Was it easy to do/understand? TIA!!

We used this site. Super easy! http://www.doyourownwill.com/onlinewill.asp

 

[MerMom60_94]

We went in and updated our wills when DH was diagnosed with cancer. I am so glad we did that as things would be a total mess right now. He passed away June 3rd and it would be harder on me to handle that on top of everything else.

I guess now I will have to go in and have mine updated again. *sigh* But it is so worth it to have peace of mind, especially with the kids.

We do not, and with the tragedy our extended family experienced in the last 10 days it is something we need to consider sooner rather than later.

I am so sorry for both of you and your families.

My DH and I had wills and living wills drawn up when DD was born. At the time, though, neither of his brothers and their wives had children and we chose his next oldest brother and his wife as guardian's for our DD. Now both brothers have children and we have seen their parenting style and we have absolutely changed our minds. I keep saying we need to setup an appointment to make that change and review our wills for any other changes (i.e. - should we retitle the house to a trust so our assets are protected if we ever have an illness or get put into a nursing home?) Next week I am on vacation. Perhaps, since there is no summer in New England this year, this is one of those things I should get scheduled to get done once and for all. Like many of you, protection of my DD is my biggest concern.

 

[Praying Colonel]

question-do you need a lawyer to do a will????

Someone said they did it free on the internet and just had to get it notarized, is this legal?? It seems too easy.

IMHO doing the internet will thing is a lot like buying a "build your own handgun" kit and assembling it at home. Maybe it'll work fine, maybe it won't--the only way you'll know is when you have to use it.

Not only may the "Internet will" not accomplish what you need, but in order for it to be effective, it has to be executed in accordance with your state's applicable law. And in most states, that requires more than a notarization.

IMHO folks who are married, or who have children, or who want their property to go to someone other than their legal parents equally, to speak with an attorney about your estate plan. You probably need a will, at least. The attorney can also discuss other aspects of your estate with you to insure everything you have an ownership interest in (probate or non-probate) passes according to your wishes.

 

[bicker]

And in most states, that requires more than a notarization.

Do you have a citation for this assertion?

 

[Orangeandwild]

Having worked in the legal profession for so long, we absolutely will always have updated wills so there is no hassle at all for our kids and grandkids after we pass.