Living a long and prosperous life is one of the main goals most people have. While most people work hard to plan their next step in life, the average person forgets to plan for what will happen after their death. When you pass away, the people you love need to be taken care of. The best way to ensure this happens is by drafting a detailed will.
A recent study found that nearly 47% of American adults don’t have a will in place. If you have no will in place, the people you love will have to deal with lots of problems when you pass away. Read below to find out more about common will drafting mistakes you need to avoid at all costs.
Relying Solely on a Handwritten Will
Some people think that writing a will out by hand is a good idea. However, you need to realize there are limitations to what can be done with a handwritten will. Many states have laws that limit the number of revisions to a handwritten will. There are also laws that restrict what handwritten wills can bequeath.
Rather than dealing with the limitations put on handwritten wills, you need to create a type-written will. This will should be signed by two witnesses to ensure it is viewed as valid. If you are unsure about how to create a will, the team at Paradise Valley Law is here to help.
Avoid Including Certain Things in Your Will
The key to successfully drafting a will is including the right information. Including any and everything in your will, however, can be extremely problematic. When developing a will, you need to leave out information like:
Retirement plans
Funeral plans
Life insurance
Jointly held properties
You also need to avoid including information about any illegal requests or gifts in your will. Instead of taking on the work involved in developing an accurate will alone, you need to enlist the help of legal professionals. These professionals can help you figure out what information to put into this important document. Once they are done, you will have an ironclad will to leave behind for your family.
Failing to Create a Living Will
A living will is a document that provides details about the type of care you want to receive if you are unable to communicate with your doctor. A living will comes in handy if a person is involved in a medical emergency that leaves them in a coma. Generally, this document will cover topics like:
End of life treatments
Desired quality of life
Resuscitation requests
You can also put information in your living will regarding the type of medical treatments you don’t want to be administered. If you have very clear ideas about how you want personal medical emergencies to be handled, then there is no denying the benefits of a living will.
Now that you know about the importance of a good will, it is time to start drafting this important legal document.