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.

One of the question we are most frequently asked is that of what is the difference between a living wills and versus that of a last will and testament? First, we must understand that a last will and testament is  very different from a living will. Downloadable living wills are used in preparation in the event of a severe medical tragedy or emergency. If a person needs extreme medical care to the point that they are incapacitated and living only to the presence of life via medical equipment and technology, more often then not that person is unable to make decisions regarding health care issues or other medical treatment.

A person suffers a stroke, or involved in a car accident, and is left in a coma or in a vegetative state, and the preserving life is maintained only through life support; families often have to struggle with the decisions as to whether or not to continue medical treatment or finally decide to pull the plug. Unfortunately there are times that the family’s decisions are different from what the wishes of the patient requests. This is exactly the case when a do it yourself living will forms can come in handy. In living wills-a person specifies and requests what route they want to take should an event arise such as described above. Once again its very clear- last will and testament are very different from living wills.

While living wills deal with issues that happen to a person before legal death; last will and testaments deal with a person’s desires after death. Last will and testament forms are important for everybody; but especially to those with families. If god forbid you and the significant other were both in an untimely death-what would become of your kids? Who would you want to take custody? As unbelievable as it sounds there are situations where custody of the children may not be quite as obvious as you think-and in the case of untimely death you won’t be around to argue the point.

Other items to consider regarding a last will and testament is take make your final wishes and grant who will get what percentage of any money and property left behind. Sadly the need to give everything to your spouse may not quite as beneficial as utilizing trusts and other financial options to offset legal issues regarding estate taxation.

Think of living wills and downloadable last will and testaments as a type of before and after death with the living part clearly referring to the fact you are breathing but incapacitated while a Last Will means there are no option and you have gone to the great beyond. Living versus Last. Two Key Words in 2 Very important documents for you and your family.

What is a Will and its Preparations?

A Will is a legal document stating the desires of a person with regard to the nature of property after the person’s death.  A Will can protect your assets and help minimize the chances of a contest over your estate. If you die without one, your assets may not be distributed as you may want them to be. You may use a Will for the following purposes.

· Provide for your family

· Specify whom you would like to receive your property

· State your funeral and burial instructions

· Create a trust for minor children

· Disinherit a person(s)

· Name a guardian for minor children

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

Legal requirements for the creation of a will are as follows:

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 author 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 author must declare that he 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 died, 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 drafted. You may find other information and resources by your local library or courthouse as well as the internet for your specific state. Every state may vary in its own way.

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 peace of mind as well.