What would happen to your estate if you died tomorrow?
This is a question that we ask all of our clients at Ralph Wilson Law. When you pass away, you want to have a will in place to ensure all of your belongings and property are dispersed based on your wishes.
One of the biggest rifts occurs in a family when a will is not in place. This not only causes financial hardship, but family disagreements and resentments.
We have helped clients in South Carolina prepare wills of all kinds. From living wills to last wills and testaments, we have been through them all.
Understanding Wills
There are a few wills that every individual must know and understand. These types of wills not only deal with what occurs after death, but upholds your wishes should you be incapacitated.
- Last Will and Testament: A last will and testament is the instructions you leave behind to your loved ones. This will includes what will happen to the entirety of your estate. A will can include who you want to take care of your child or pets; what will happen to your estate; who will receive all of the money you left behind. You can include any form of distribution as you see fit.
- Living Will: If your state of health declined to the point where you could not make your own decisions, a living will would be followed. This is also called an advance directive and dictates what treatments are acceptable. This may include how long you should be kept on life support as well as what types of medications are allowed to be administered.
- Power of Attorney: Power of attorney allows another person to represent your affairs. This will be enforced if you have become incapacitated and can no longer take care of your financial duties. This can include the running of your estate as well as your business.
When to Draft a Will
Ralph Wilson Law is often asked when the best time to draft a will is for an individual. The best answer that we can provide is as soon as possible. We cannot control what will happen tomorrow or a year from now; however, we can control what happens to our estate or well-being.
You are never too old or too young to have a will drafted. If circumstances change in the coming years, your will can still be amended so that your current wishes are still followed.
At Ralph Wilson Law, we have helped our clients plan for the unexpected. We help with the entirety of estate planning as well as just wills, amendments, power of attorney or living wills. Our law office can help you make the difficult decision of what will happen when you are no longer here, or when you do not have the capacity to make your own decisions.
The time to draft a will is now. Never let your death cause a rift between your family members. Drafting a will is a guarantee that your assets are distributed based on your wishes.