(no subject)

[shadowkat]

Mother: You need to get a will.
Me: I just found a doctor and it took forever...why do I need to worry about a will?
Mother: Because if you die without a will -- it will cause all sorts of problems for the people who survive you.
Me: You'll most likely be gone by then, and no one will care.
Mother: You need a will. Or your money will go to the state.
Me: How I am supposed to get a will? I guess I can do it myself..
Mother: No, you need a lawyer.
Me: I don't frigging want to pay to lawyer to draw up a will right now.
Mother: You also need to assign power of attorney.
Me: Do you have any idea how long it took me to find a pain management doctor and a primary care? I have a lot on my plate right now..
Mother: Just look into it.

Sigh.

So, Anyone know any good estate attorneys? Or websites to print off a will from? Honestly, I don't even know who I'd leave everything to. (And no, just because I went to law school doesn't mean I know anything about estate law.)


Frigging mother went to an estate planning class.

Comments

[jesuswasbatman]

Pick some charities?

[trepkos]

I had a will made as soon as I could, because I didn't want the money to go to my family! Leaving it all to animal/environmental causes.

[atpo_onm]

A will is a good idea, but power of attorney? Far more critical.

Plan to work on this myself very soon, along with a will.

Not that I have any money to redistribute to anyone, and in fact if I kicked off suddenly now, the bank would end up with the house, since I owe quite a bit on my line of credit with them.

I would like to decide on who gets my record collection; I might donate it to my favorite NPR radio station to sell off and use to aid in their fundraising efforts. My audio system is good, but also very old, and my car is in it's tenth year, so also not highly valuable.

Other than that? Got absolutely nuthin' of value to give away, so for me the power of attorney is more important, and my sister will get that.

[cactuswatcher]

Yes, Shadowkat, pay attention to what ONM just said. God knows what will happen if the state has to make decisions about your care, if you can't speak for yourself.

[cactuswatcher]

The primary reason for having a will is to reduce the amount of money the state and state-appointed attorneys will grab from what's left behind. Picking an executor can at least give your family the feeling they aren't getting screwed. Picking a hired attorney is usually a mistake. Your heirs can easily end up owning more than your estate is worth. If you are lucky and have trustworthy family members it's pretty simple, just pick one that's good at math, and is the least scared silly of doing their own taxes. Things get complicated if you have a lot of money and close family members you can't stand/don't trust.

Life insurance doesn't seem very useful to someone in your position either, but it will help someone in the your family from having to pay your unexpected bills out of their own pocket while they wait for your estate to creep it's way through probate.

[shadowkat]

Company provides the life insurance, so not a problem.

[applenym]

I recently bought Quicken WillMaker Plus 2019 + Living Trust because of a friend's recommendation. It cost $80. I installed it but haven't gotten started with it yet. I use Quicken TurboTax to do my taxes, though, and I find that pretty easy to use. So it might be worth a look, especially if your needs are not very complicated. (I think there are one or two states where it's not legal to use software to make your will, so you may want to check on that first.)

[yourlibrarian]

Definitely a good idea for many reasons. As I recall I got a book from the library to draft my first will. I had one done by the estate attorney after my mother died, but I think having virtually anything in writing is better than having nothing at all. And ditto to the power of attorney and medical power of attorney comments above -- crucial.