We at Createmywill.com hear it all the time. The stories about people who put off the process of writing a last will and testament. Some think its too expensive while others think it takes too much time. We even heard stories about people assuming all of their worldly possessions will simply be transferred to their spouses and children like a relay race runner passing the baton to a a teammate. This one always baffles me as when has the law ever made anything simpler or more affordable…let alone the fact when one tries to create a will its largely for reasons of taxation?
But you do not need to have Bill Gates type money nor Stephen Hawking’s intellect to get started on writing your last will and testament. Writing a will is actually very easy to do and with streamlined services offered up by the fine folks at createmywill.com to download will forms online there is now an easy way to start on the process of creating your will while minimizing the pain commonly associated with the process thereof. Writing a will is important for a myriad of reasons of which we will take some time to discuss below.
Writing a will can ensure that your assets and property will be distributed out as you see fit.
If you are with a will do not assume that your assets and property will be be guaranteed to pass to your spouse and children! The law will first try to determine the exact amount of your estate and assets. Creating a living will is the only way to promise that your instructions will be followed through upon your death.
Writing a last will and testament can ensure that you can personally appoint and designate powers for an Executor of your estate. This process allows you to decide who will act as overseer to distribute your estate assets as part of your overall estate plan. Why is this important? How would you like it if a person with whom you never agreed with and disliked somehow managed to be the judge and jury of your estate?
If you want to have the final say on who will appoint a guardian for your minor children writing a last will and testament can make those wishes known . A Last Will and Testament serves as the legally binding documentation that clearly dictates with whom will care for your minor children in the event of untimely death. Certainly the least appealing of all reasons to create a will but by that same token arguably the most important.
Specifying your funeral wishes. Imagine that you always wanted our funeral to be a celebration of life as opposed to the solemn and traditional roman catholic variety. Imagine you wanted to be buried at sea or have your ashes sprinkled over your favorite hiking spot. No matter what nor how elaborate your final wishes, stating these wishes in your last will and testament form not only solidifies your funeral plans but also eases the burden of having your loved ones in their time of grief from having to make these decisions.
Reduce Legal Costs and Getting things done quickly. Having a last will and testament often means the transference of your property and assets faster and cheaper. A clear cut, easy to read, concise will reduces the possibilities that you may incur additional costs via legal fees thus giving a bigger portion of your assets to your benefactors.

Estate planning is so important for a variety of reasons. Sometimes those reasons can be for one specific sole purpose and sometimes for a combination of reasons. At the end of the day whether the primary purpose of planning your estate is for financial security or simply limiting or trying to avoid taxes, estate planning does not always have to be an overtly complicated or timely procedure to procure. And while your goals for Estate planning may be different from those your neighbor just as two estates are not identical, there are some basic steps you can follow in terms of estate planning that are sound for anyone with any sized estate. Of course while all downloadable estate planning forms and last will and testament forms are the best way to proceed; Here is some information to better help you understand the estate planning process as well as some of the necessary steps that can streamline the process and make it more easily understood.

You cant decide how to divvy up what you have until you figure exactly what you’ve got. Draw up a ledger of all of your assets and possessions to get an idea of exactly what you will be working with in terms of your estate plan and get an accurate idea thereof. There are several websites you can get these downloadable estate planning forms Be detailed and keep an extensive and accurate list of all your financial accounts, any IRAs and Stock, as well as any property held by you or in which you have any percentage of interest.

Once you have a good idea of what you are dealing with in terms of assets, you must determine what are your priorities? What is of most importance to you? Consider this item the other side of the coin of the item above. Is the goal of your online estate plan forms simply to take care of your loved ones in a fair and equitable fashion or is your goal to minimize the heavy hand on Uncle Sam and avoid as much probate and taxation as possible? Determining and deciding on your end game goals will go a long way into how to proceed in a logical, sensible process.
Next we get to the part of estate planning and legal will forms that can get a bit sticky. Nothing brings out the worst in people like a battle over an estate or inheritance. The next step is deciding how all of the above will be divided up and delivered and how that process will be handled. While you son may be the best choice to handle your property assets the family heirlooms will probably be something best handled by your spouse or your sister. These type of decisions are yours and yours alone and some type of quiet reflection is certainly not a bad idea to clarify and determine this process.

Finally, Createawill.com! Where else can you go and in a matter of moments get all of the online legal forms needed to get started on your last will and estate plan?We created Createawill.com to provide an easy and affordable solution for everyone to receive all of the documents needed for their estate planning, including the Last Will and Testament Forms. We took the time to also create estate planning attorney authorized guides to help walk you through the process of filling out your Last Will and Testament.

Now that the holiday season is over and the travels plans, the buying of gifts ,and the visiting family members are back home and especially in light of the new year it is a good time to discuss long term planning in the event of ones death and a living will online can help you do just that. It can be a tense, stressful thing to talk but by that same token rewarding in that it not only brings piece of mind but rekindles the warm and happy memories and sentiments those older individuals who have watched their families grow over the passage of years.

Although it is not the easiest subject to talk about, the new year can also be used as a opportune time to discuss the long-term plans in the event of a loved one’s death. Estate planning via a downloadable last will and testament form means that there are a number of legal tasks ahead that those aging individuals can complete and submit to provide the knowledge and security to their families in the event of death.

Drafting a will is the best way to get started and something that even the parents of young children should consider as it is certainly something they can benefit from. A california printable last will and testament simply provides the ground rules that clearly spells out the division of assets among your family members and friends, but it also can also be used as an important tool to designate who are you candidates whom will care for your children in the event of your death. Not something most want to think about but arguably one of the most decisions a young couple can make.

Do not overlook the value of a simple life insurance policy as well- it can be beneficial, especially if you take care of dependents who need and require extra funds in their day to day lives. Think of the elderly or disabled or perhaps those with mental impairment. As you compose your living will form, make the effort to purchase a small amount of life insurance and make those other important designations with various legal forms, such as power of attorney,as it will be of crucial importance to update beneficiaries options as well regardless whether it’s assets or responsibilities or some combination thereof.

And finally it must be said that a will or power of attorney is useless if no one has any record of them nor know the location or the information contained therein. Therefore, keep all documents and copies in an easy to find location as well as notifying your spouse and other close family members as to where the location of these documents are. Once again, notify several parties about the location of your downloadable last will and testament form in no unsure or uncertain terms. A legal Last Will and Testament will save all of your loved ones a mountain of headaches; not to mention a mountain of your hard earned assets that you’ve worked a lifetime to achieve.

It is amazing to us that the more people we reach through this blog, the more we realize that vast amount of people who still have this archaic preconceived misconception that estate planning and living will planning is only for people named Gates, Buffett, and Zuckerberg. The reality is clear and as a reknowned former US president once said, “Make No Mistake” in that estate planning is something everyone needs to not only consider but take action-especially as we grow older and enter our middle age years. It is easy to be 20 or 30 years old and take on whatever life throws at you but as you get older the odds of demise become less and less in your favor- the best document we could every recommend in gross, sheer terms of importance is without question-a Living Will.

Living Wills basically allow those who may be experiencing the catastrophic effects of some type terminal illness to get down on paper their wishes and how they prefer the treatment to be handled in regards to the medical application and procedures to extend their lives. There my be cases where someone does not want to be placed on a breathing apparatus or somehow kept alive by means of a feeding tube or other medical procedures. The Terry Schiavo case comes to mind. A living will allows the wishes of that person to decide on their own terms how they would like their medical wishes to be granted as well as giving their family a blueprint on how to proceed should the unthinkable occur.

A living will is indeed a legally binding document, as opposed to wills that discuss nothing more then land,bank accounts and business holdings; creating a living will’s only requirement is that the person in question to write down their desires and wishes in the presence of a witness or witnesses. Having a living will spares your loved one the terrible process that is making the final, oftentimes tragic decision on how to proceed in a medical emergency. Imagine for a moment what your family may be put through when faced with making this decision? Isn’t getting your wishes in writing now a far better alternative then forcing loved ones into a difficult decision when they are the most vulnerable emotionally?

It is ironic that living wills are generally not associated with typical estate planning forms but we always advocated that they should be. For all other types of will and estate planning documents, such as traditional wills, CreateAWill.com and EasyAgreements.com are always a button click away from helping you get started on all of you estate planning needs.

Createawill.com exists simply for the fact that most people

want to leave some type of legacy for their loved ones after death. This is the deceased’s final act of love to their family members as having those resources and assets to the surviving members of the family can ease their financial burden or simply improving their life. After a lifetime of blood, sweat, and tears it is only natural to want to leave as much of your money,property, and other assets with the people whom you loved and cared for during your lifetime.

But as with all things regulated the process is never clear cut nor simply, the probate process itself can gobble up a good portion of that money through simple fees alone. Think about it- is the last thing that you want for your family when completing your last will and testament to be legally forced to give some of the proceeds to the government with the potential of them being forced to wait for months or years to see any of your assets that you wanted to give them?
Some tips to help detour the nastiness and inherent unfairness of the probate process can be found below and are listed as follows:
Look into the idea of creating a living will and trust as opposed to a simple will. Living trusts distribute your assets and property into an trust that will then be managed and overseen by a trustee with whom you can name or appoint. Why a Trust? It allows your estate to avoid probate entirely since assets and property you owned are now held in trust as opposed to simply being listed in a will. This also avoids all probate costs as there are no court fees or costs occurred that will be taken from the estate.
Another idea is to add your selected beneficiaries to all of your bank accounts, savings accounts, as well as any retirement accounts that may be in your name. NOTE-even if you do elect to create a last will and testament online, your assets do not have to go through the probate process; your retirement and bank account will allow you to name a beneficiary and then it also does not have to be included in full or as part of probate process. We at CreateaWill.com suggest that you should go through your accounts and determine which accounts will allow you to utilize the beneficiary option that in turn can save both time and money for your loved ones. Ensuring that common financial staples like savings accounts, pension plans, life insurance policies, 401(k) plans, IRA accounts, stocks and bonds, and other financial accounts are all wise decisions.
And lastly, ensure that any of your property held is listed and documents as being held with joint tenancy with right of survivorship. Keep in mind this option will only apply in the instances in which you are holding property jointly with a spouse or a significant other. This process thus allows the property to pass automatically to the person designated without the time consumption required of having to enter and go through the probate process.  All of these should be considered when completing a living will and trust.

Do I really Need a Will?

When it comes to creating a Will.  Some people say well if you are not going to be around any longer, what is the point of a Will?  There are many different reasons why you should have a Will.  Let’s start with the reasoning behind a Will first.  A Will is a legal document that states the  stating the wants of a person with regard to the nature of the properties or assets after the death of a person.   A Will can protect your assets and help minimize the battles over your property.  If you die without one, your assets may not be distributed as you may want them to be. Attached are a few ideas on why you may want to create a will.

· To provide for your family.

· Specify whom you would like to receive your property.

· Request specifics at your funeral and burial.

· Create a trust for your children.

· Disinherit a person(s)

· Name a guardian for minor children

A Living Will is a legal document that explains the desires of a person with regard to medical decisions in the event where the person is unable to act on his/her own behalf.

What are the Legal Requirements of a Living Will?

Any person over the age of 18 can draft his/her own will without the help of an attorney. Additional requirements may vary depending on the jurisdiction but every will must contain the following:

• The owner of the Will must clearly identify himself as the maker of the will and that a will is being made; this is commonly called “publication” of the will and is typically satisfied by the words “last will and testament” on the face of the document.
• The owner must also declare that he or she cancels all previously-made wills and codicils.  Otherwise a previous made will revokes earlier wills and codicils only to the extent that they are inconsistent. However, if a following will is completely inconsistent with a previous one, it will be considered completely revoked by implication.
• The author must demonstrate that he has the capacity to dispose of his property and does so freely and willingly.
• The author must sign and date the will usually in the presence of at least two witnesses (persons who are not beneficiaries).
• The author’s signature must be placed at the end of the will. If this is not followed, any text following the signature will be ignored or the entire will may be invalidated if what comes after the signature is so material that ignoring it would defeat the person’s intentions.

After the author has passed, a proceeding will take place in court to determine the validity of the will. If the Will is ruled invalid then the inheritance will occur under the laws of intestacy, as if a will were never created.  You may find more information and resources by your local library or courthouse as well as the internet for your specific state.  Keep in mind that every state varies.

A Will is a matter of crucial importance and is able to be done yourself by simply going to www.createawill.com. We offer state specific downloadable forms and kit to not only save you money but time and a  peace of mind as well.

A Living Will is the last written testament given by the deceased person telling their survivors what to do with their property & assets. In most states for a will to be valid it must abide by specific guidelines as to, signing, witnessing and notarizing. The requirements all vary from state to state.

You are able to make a will if you are of legal age and sound mind. All states consider legal age, eighteen years old. To determine if the person has a sound mind the law uses these guidelines: the person must understand the nature of his property the people who he would normally leave the property to, and the reasons in which he is leaving it. A person does not need to be very smart to understand these things, or be in perfect mental health. The only people who could not write a will under these circumstances are those that are moderately to severely mentally ill or deranged.

A will won’t be accepted as valid unless it meets all requirements. All wills must be in writing. Any type of photograph or video tape is not considered a valid will. Any language is valid. It must be written on a legible surface paper or anything as long as it can be read and is a fairly permanent record is acceptable.

The Will must contain the signature of the testator to be valid. It does not matter if the signature is not legible or even spelled correctly. The important aspect of the signature is that the signer intended it to be their “mark” So, an X or a dot or even a line would be valid as long as the testator meant it as their signature. This is an important concept in the matter of wills, because a person who is illiterate or paralyzed may only be able to put a dot or an X. Normally the signature should be at the end of the will, but some states will allow it to be anywhere in the will. Be sure to educate yourself on your specific state.

Most states require that the signature of the testator be witnessed by at least two witnesses. There is no need for the witnesses to know what is inside the will, only that they know it is being signed by the testator. Some states require that the witnesses be adults, others do not. But all states require that the witnesses be competent enough to understand that they may need to testify or verify they saw or know of the will being signed by the testator. The witnesses should not be in the will as beneficiaries. Nor, should the witnesses be spouses of any of the beneficiaries. The witnesses must sign that they saw the testator sign the will, or that the testator states.

All of these signatures need to take place in the presence of each other. In other words, the witnesses need to see, or confirm, the testator’s signature, and the testator must see, or affirm, the witness’s signatures. Many states provide for a “self-proving affidavit” to be included in the will. What this does is make it unnecessary for the witnesses to go to court to testify that the testator signed the will. To include a “self-proving affidavit” in the will a notary will need to be present at the time of signature to notarize the affidavit properly. Keep in mind that all states vary and you should find out which steps you need to take before preparing your last will & testament.

On this note if you are ready to take your first step to making your last will & testament to protect your assets, simply go www.createawill.com and begin your specific state low cost do it yourself will process today.

It is sometimes considered that creating a will is not an easy process. On the contrary, it is rather simple and straight forward to create a will.

A will, in basic words, is a document to ensure that your estate (assets without liabilities) is distributed off the way you desire.

In legal terms, a will is defined as the legal statement of the intentions of the testator, with respect to his property and assets, which he desires to be carried into effect after his death. Such disposal comes into effect only after the death of the testator.

Making a will is one of the most important parts of personal financial planning.

Normally lots of people avoid making one. A will enables each one of us to distribute our property and assets in the manner we wish to distribute it. A will may also reduce the risks of undue litigation, delays, misunderstandings and disputes amongst family members.

A will can be hand-written, or typed up depending on your choice. It requires no stamp duty or registration, although experts advise that a will must be registered so that it is in safe custody. The will must be attested by two witnesses and notarized.

Consider some basic guidelines while creating a will:

• A will can be hand written in ink but preferably should be typed up
• It does not require any stamp paper & and it need not be registered but is recommended.
• It should preferably be drafted by a lawyer, and checked by an accountant.
• It is advisable to name in your will, more than one executor/executrix to administer the estate and distribute the property, as per your desire.
• The will must be signed by you in the presence of at least two witnesses who must also sign the will at the same time. Their full names and addresses should be given
• The executor or beneficiary cannot attest the will as a witness.
• The executor of the will can also be named as a beneficiary and vice versa. Sign each page of the will, so that nobody can substitute a page later on, nor can anybody argue about fraudulent insertion of a page subsequently.
• Keep your will in a safe place. Inform the executor and beneficiaries where the Will is kept. Also give a signed copy to your lawyer.
• Review your will regularly, say once a year. It may need revisions to take care of changes in your financial or family circumstances.
• On the demise of a spouse, the surviving spouse needs to revise his/her will.

Some legal terms of a Will

Estate: The sum of all the assets of a person, less his liabilities becomes his estate. In short, all properties, bank accounts, investments, insurances and collectibles, less the liabilities of a person, are collectively called a person’s estate.

Testator: A person who makes his will is a testator.

Executor: A person who executes the contents of the Will after the demise of the testator is called the executor. The executor is the legal representative for all purposes of the deceased person.

Legatee/ Beneficiary: Legatee is a person who inherits the estate. You should state how you wish your assets to be distributed. This includes naming one or more persons whom, you would like to receive all or part of your estate when you die, and who will benefit if your first choice beneficiary (or second or third) predeceases you.

Probate: Probate is the legal process of settling the estate of a deceased person, specifically resolving all claims and distributing the deceased person’s property under the valid will.

Now that you are educated with information regarding making a will you can begin making your will immediately. Simply go to www.createawill.com and download your low cost do it yourself will online today.

Everyone should have a will, which should cover at least the following seven essential guidelines to avoid difficulties in the future:

· Be sure that only one Will is created and exists.

· Determine who you want to serve as your executor.

· Carefully plan for your dependents’ future.

· Designate a guardian for any or all young children.

· Assign specific assets or gifts to relatives, friends, or charities.

· Decide which people or organizations should receive the assets of your estate.

· Put in writing the details of your funeral arrangements.

After following the bulleted basics above, you may wish to consider a few other points.

A Will is much more than a simple outline of the final distribution of your property and effects.  It’s also an occasion to explain your plans for the continued financial support of the people and projects that you have actively supported during your lifetime.

It can also be the time to finally help those people and groups that you always wanted to help out but simply didn’t have the resources to do so.

Be Sure to Update your Will whenever Necessary

If your financial situation has changed significantly as a result of purchases, investments, inheritances, inflationary increases, business growth, etc., you need to reflect these changes in your Will.

How often you do this will depend on the wording of your original Will and how significant the changes in your circumstances are.

Certainly, anything that is not already specifically detailed in your existing Will should be added now.

Reflecting lifestyle and interest changes in your will

If you haven’t examined your Will in several years, you may need to consider whether it adequately covers your current lifestyle, attitudes, and interests.

People realize that if they have retired, changed occupations, or even if their family situation has changed, they may need to reconsider the terms of their Wills.

Many people who were unable financially to help support groups or causes during their lifetimes use the opportunity provided by their Wills to leave a legacy for future generations.

Consider everything carefully – It is YOUR WILL!

While everyone involved in estate planning agrees with the urgent need to create a Will, remember that it is, in fact, you’re Will. Consider your own wishes and feelings.

Quite simply, your Will is a very important document, but if it doesn’t accurately express your wishes, it isn’t well done.

Talk it over with your loved ones. Consider the future. Make a draft. Think again. Your Will is one of the most important, and personal, documents you will ever prepare!

Consult an attorney if necessary

Estate planning experts strongly recommend that you seek the advice of an attorney when making out your Will.

Laws about Will-making and taxes can vary from place to place and the specific wording needed to ensure that your wishes are carried out may require the help of a lawyer.

Other Options!

Consulting an attorney can help you hugely but keep in mind that you have the choice to pay an attorney or you are able to do it yourself. You can simply begin this low cost downloadable specific state do it yourself create a will process now by going to www.createawill.com now.

One of the most important decisions in your life may be to protect your assets and your wishes before you pass.

One of the most important contracts you may ever sign in your life is one that will protect your assets and your wishes after your life is over. A will is one way to ensure that your assets and final wishes are respected and can be a great comfort to your family and friends upon your death. Maybe you’re thinking that you may not be able to afford a will to be drawn up by an attorney. Or you think to yourself that you don’t have much anyhow, so why put it in writing. So let’s just look at this realistically. You may not think you have a lot of assets, but if you own any property or anything of cash value, you need a will. Its very simple.

Designating a beneficiary on your insurance policies and establishing a Pay on Death Clause in your bank accounts can help with some of these issues, but not everything allows for this. While you may believe your spouse or child is going to automatically inherit your property, this is not a fact. Courts have granted an ex-spouse and distant relatives a person’s estate and assets when there has not been a clear indication of those items being willed to someone. This is how important it is to have a will created before you pass.

As far as affording to create a will, there are more options available than ever before, and one of the newest options for creating a will and testament is using on online do it yourself state specific create a will kit.

The first step you need to take toward creating an online will is to get your paperwork together. You will need at the very least all of the following items:

· Bank Accounts and Account Numbers

· Vehicle Identification Numbers to any vehicles

· All Credit Card Information

· Mortgage and Title/Deed on Homes

· A list of personal property belonging solely to you

· A list of personal property belonging jointly to you and someone else

· Child custody and birth records or information for minor children

· Any documents or papers for residual income, royalties, copyright ownership, patents held

Anything else you can think of that is important to you that you want to give to someone else in your life. Before you begin to create your will, you need to get all of your information together and in one place, because this will make creating the will faster and easier.

The next step in the process of creating an online will is to find the will creation service, software or document you want to use. You can begin your low cost attorney free down-loadable create a will forms and kit at www.createawill.com and begin to protect you’re assets and properties today.