What is a Will?
A Will is a legal document that can protect your assets and help minimize any disagreement or dispute over the distribution of your estate when you die. A Will is created and used to control the distribution of property upon your death, to provide guidance or suggestion to the courts as to who should act as the guardian of your minor children after death and to name the person who will manage your estate after you die. A Will provides instruction for the distribution of your assets through the Probate Courts.
Will For Married Female With Children, Property To Husband Then Children:
This Will is most suited for a married woman with children. The entire estate is given to the wife’s husband if he survives her; if not, the estate is divided equally among the wife’s children (and if the children do not survive her, to the children’s children). Also, the wife can provide for a potential guardian of her children, should both she and her husband die while the children are minors or in need of a guardian. Also, provides that all debts, funeral expenses, and taxes owed by the decedent be paid by the Executor named in the Will (the Executor is named by the decedent).
Will For Married Male With Children, Property To Wife Then Children:
This Will is most suited for a married man with children. The entire estate is given to the husband’s wife if she survives him - if not, the estate is divided equally among the husband’s children (and if the children do not survive her, to the children’s children). Also, the husband can provide for a potential guardian of his children, should both he and his wife die while the children are minors or in need of a guardian. Also, provides that all debts, funeral expenses, and taxes owed by the decedent be paid by the Executor named in the Will (the Executor is named by the decedent).
Will For Divorced Person With Children, Property To Children:
A concise Will that is most suited for a divorced adult having children. The entire estate is divided equally among the Testator’s children (and if the children do not survive the Testator, to the children’s children). Also, the Testator can provide for a potential guardian of the children, should she die while the children are minors or in need of a guardian. The former spouse of the decedent takes nothing under this Will. Also, this Will provides that all debts, funeral expenses, and taxes owed by the decedent be paid by the Executor named in the Will (the Executor is named by the decedent).
Will For Married Male With No Children, Property To Wife:
This Will is most suited for a married man having no children. The entire estate is given to the husband’s wife if she survives him - if not, the husband’s entire estate is given to one person named in the Will, and with an alternate beneficiary designated by the husband should this first alternate beneficiary not survive him.
Will For Married Female With No Children, Property To Husband:
This Will is most suited for a married woman having no children. The entire estate is given to the wife’s husband if he survives her - if not, the wife’s entire estate is given to one person named in the Will, and with an alternate beneficiary designated by the wife should this first alternate beneficiary not survive her.
Will For Single Person With Children, Property To Children:
This Will is most suited for an unmarried person having children. The entire estate is divided among the Testator’s children (and if the children do not survive the Testator, to the children’s children). Also, the Testator can provide for a potential guardian of his/her children if the children are minors or in need of a guardian. Also, provides that all debts, funeral expenses, and taxes owed by the decedent be paid by the Executor named in the Will (the Executor is named by the decedent).
Will For Single Person with No Children, Property To Persons Named in the Will:
This concise Will is most suited for an unmarried person having no children. The entire estate is given to one person named in the Will by the Testator, with an alternate beneficiary designated should the first beneficiary not survive the Testator. Also, provides that all debts, funeral expenses, and taxes owed by the decedent be paid by the Executor named in the Will (the Executor is named by the decedent).
Will With Specific Gifting Provisions:
This Will can be used by married or unmarried, or single adults and provides for specific distribution of assets of the decedent (i.e., if the decedent has particular items that he or she wants to transfer or give to a particular person, it can be done in this Will). Any assets not specifically listed will be distributed to the person named by the Testator.
NOTE: AS IS EXPLAINED IN THE INSTRUCTIONS, IN MOST STATES, IT IS NOT PERMISSIBLE TO EXCLUDE A SPOUSE FROM A WILL! AS SUCH, ANY ATTEMPT TO DISINHERIT A SPOUSE MAY BE NULL AND VOID.
Will Directing Sale of Assets and Payment of Proceeds to Beneficiaries:
This Will provides that the real and personal property of the Testator be sold after his or her death, and the money generated by the sale of such property (i.e., the proceeds) be distributed to the persons named in the Will. This Will allows either specific dollar amounts to be passed to the beneficiaries or a percentage of the total proceeds after the sale of the property. Like the other Wills, this document permits the maker of the Will to name an Executor who will oversee the gathering and sale of the property and, ultimately, the distribution of the proceeds. This Will eliminates the need or necessity to provide specific gifts to certain beneficiaries while allowing the Testator to decide the amount or share of each beneficiary's money after his or her death. Also, the beneficiaries can be persons (whether family or not) or organizations or entities that engage in a cause that the maker finds worthy of support.
Advanced Healthcare Directive
An Advanced Health Care Directive allows you to clearly designate your long-term healthcare
wishes, and appoint one or two Agents who can inform your health care providers specifically about the kind of care you would like to have if you cannot make medical decisions for yourself.
These healthcare decisions include: whether or not you wish to receive life-sustaining treatment when there is no hope for recovery; who your primary physician should be; who may speak to medical issues on your behalf if necessary; what healthcare decisions the person named can and cannot make; if you wish to reduce pain; if you wish to be kept alive by artificial means; if you should be resuscitated; and if you wish to donate your organs.
