Who do YOU want to take custody of your children should you die unexpectedly? Do you have a Will naming guardians or do you trust "the state" to decide? Do you really want to leave this important decision to strangers?
Maybe you figure your spouse will outlive you and that they can pick a guardian. The problem is, what if your spouse dies with you in a common accident or is incapacitated?
Or, maybe you assume those you care about will inherit your estate. But did you know that you need a Will to:
- Name the person to take care of your affairs after you are gone?
- Name guardians for your children?
- Set up trusts for your children after your death?
It is especially important for parents of minor children to prepare their Will. Who do you want to take custody of your children should you die before they are adults? And would you really want little Johnny or Susie to get their hands on 100% of their inheritance when they are only 18 years old? If you die without a will, they get the whole ball of wax on their 18th birthday. And faster than you can say "BANKRUPTCY" comes trips to Cancun, fancy sports cars and fast living -- if they don't have the benefit of maturity that can only come after living on their own for a while, say at least age 21, 25 or even 30. With a Will, YOU control how much of their inheritance is distributed to them and when.
Or what if you have a Will, but there is a divorce in the family and you need to revise your potential guardians? Do you really want someone who's no longer part of the family raising your kids? Don't get your Will revised and that's exactly what can happen.
That was the case in my life recently so imagine my relief when I discovered USLegalWills (BBB Rating: A+) has created a service that allows anybody to prepare their Will, Power of Attorney and Living Will from the comfort of their own home, online.
You step through a series of online questions and the service guides you through the process. If you have minor children, you will be prompted to name guardians and set up trusts. If you think 18 is too young to inherit (and I think it is!) set the age to 25, 30 or even age 35. Or do as we did and break down the inheritance into 3 separate chunks over 12 years at ages 21, 25 and 30.
You step through a series of online questions and the service guides you through the process. If you have minor children, you will be prompted to name guardians and set up trusts. If you think 18 is too young to inherit (and I think it is!) set the age to 25, 30 or even age 35. Or do as we did and break down the inheritance into 3 separate chunks over 12 years at ages 21, 25 and 30.
Once you have answered all of the questions, you download and print your Will which must then be signed in the presence of two adult witnesses (and remember in most jurisdictions, a witness cannot be a beneficiary of the Will or the spouse of a beneficiary) to make it a completely legally binding document. No lawyer required.
USLegalWills prices (including taxes) at the time of this post are as follows:
- Last Will and Testament: $34.95 USD
- Power of Attorney: $24.95 USD
- Living Will (Power of Attorney for Health Care): $14.95 USD AND
- A 40% discount off the above prices for your Spouse or Partner.
Of course you can have always have a lawyer review the documents before signing them for peace of mind. USLegalWills even offers lawyers for this service for an extra $69 USD. But I felt no reason to consult one, considering this was replacing my last Will and found this one hit all the right points, and actually was BETTER (more thorough) that my previous Will (done by an actual lawyer!). So trust me when I say the services offered by USLegalWills are extremely reliable. And it took me only 30 minutes.
What a relief to be able to complete all my estate planning documents right in my own home. Affordable AND convenient? Sign me up! And if you sign up through this link HERE you'll receive 15% off.
I wrote this post while participating in a campaign and received a gift and or payment to thank me for my time. All views and opinions with regard to the products or company itself are my own and were not influenced nor reviewed by the company prior to posting.
 |
| I give USLegalWills 5 stars! |
