Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Five Reasons to have a Last Will and Testament

In previous blogs, we have discussed a number of aspects of a last Will and Testament.  Below is a quick summary of those discussions and why, if you haven’t established a Last Will and Testament, you should do so without delay: 

1. Establishes your beneficiaries to inherit your estate after death.
2. Establishes who will act as the fiduciary to settle your estate after death.
3. Establishes the guardian for your minor children in the event of an untimely death.
4. Create Trusts in your Will so as to avoid estate taxes, care for a special needs individual without jeopardizing his or her government benefits, and to avoid a minor from having access to an inheritance at 18 years of age.

And the most important reason:

       5.  Avoid the government making decisions “1 through 4” above for you.