A Will is a Gift You Give Your Family
I had a client, a young woman in her 20s, whose husband died unexpectedly. She was worried about her finances, but at least she expected to inherit the property her husband owned before his death.
Unfortunately, he died without a will. She was certain that if he had signed a will, it would have left all of his property to his wife in order to protect her. Under Alabama law, however, his estate had to be divided equally between his wife and his parents, despite the fact that he had no real relationship with his parents.
If you die without a will, the law of the state will decide what happens to your assets. A recent survey shows that this could happen to more than half of all Americans.
https://www.caring.com/articles/wills-survey-2017
While most of us don’t want to think about the end of our lives, we do need to think about what will happen to the people we love when we are not around to take care of them. I’ve had clients who died without wills, leaving their families with messes to straighten out, fees and costs that skyrocketed, fights between family members, and assets being awarded to someone they didn’t want to benefit -- all because they didn’t have a valid will.
Think of a will as a gift you give your family.
If you have a valid, up to date will, you can make sure that:
- Your estate will be protected.
- The fees and costs involved in probating your estate will be greatly reduced.
- Family fights will be less likely because you have set out the rules for the disposition of your assets in your will.
- Your property goes to the person, church, or other charitable organization that you choose.
Give your family a gift—have an attorney prepare a will for you! You might be surprised at how inexpensive it is.