last will and testament?

[katrina]

ok so this is a slightly morbid subject, but neither dh or i have a will. now that we're married and actually have an "estate" we have been thinking about writing a living will, last will and testament, and anything else we may need like a health-care power of attorney.

 

has anyone done this? would you recommend drafting all three of those documents? of course, we each know what the other one would want in case something happens, but is it best to have these wishes down on paper?

 

we're really not sure where to start. i've done my fair share of googling but would appreciate any first-hand information. also, i searched the forum but came out empty, so if there are threads about this please throw them my way!

[stacey]

I dont know if you guys have Kaiser out there. But DH and I just picked up a pamplet that we need to fill out that will make eachother our health care power of attorney. I think that a maybe your DR. might have something like that to fill out.

[ehegwer]

Welcome to being a real adult!

 

I've got all three, and did it through a lawyer. I know I probably could have done it myself, but I'm sure there will be times in my life when I need real legal advice, and I found someone I can trust and work with, through my accountant.

 

Good luck in your search.

[Jess]

yeah I have a will as I bought a house last year and otherwise I was told it would get stuck in the legal system for a while since I did not have a beneficiary. I just bought a paper tempelate at the local office supply store - they all have them.

 

I still need to get real one, and I think I will when we get married, but this will suffice for now.

[ErinB]

I have had all 3 for years. I need to have them updated now that we are married.

 

I would definitely have your wishes spelled out for a living will. It is a very tough situation to be in and I wouln't want my family to have to think twice about making a decision.

 

I did all of mine through an attorney. It shouldn't cost very much to have the papers drawn up. A lot of times the papers will have to be witnessed or notarized and all of that is included when you go through an attorney. He or she can also answer any specific questions about how your estate will be settled and you can go ahead and put provisions in for heirs and secondary benificiaries should something happen to both of you at the same time.

 

I don't think of it as morbid at all. I think it is really responsible and an act of love to be prepared and spare your family the hassle of dealing with these matters after you are gone.

[Kristy!]

I don't have any personal experience, but just do it. Better to be safe than sorry. FI and I will be doing all three right after we're married.

[kiki317]

We're getting all of that done by a lawyer. we're having a pre-nup too, so it's easier to have it all done at once.

 

We're also shopping around for life insurance too.

I'd much rather shop for new shoes or jewlery though- LMAO!!

[Jamaica0619]

We have wills, but not healthcare power of attorney or living wills - we probably should take care of that now that we will be getting married. From experience, I would highly recommend having all three in place and have them drawn up by a lawyer. A lawyer will make sure all issues are address, will help you to avoid any legal loopholes, and will be able to provide you unbiased advice. You hate to think about it, but if the time comes when these documents need to come into play, just becuase you have expressed your desires to each other, others may not concur with those decision and can cause you a lot of grief (at what might already be a very difficult time) trying to follow through on your wishes if they are not spelled out in a legal document.

[katrina]

ok, so it seems like the first thing i need to do is find a lawyer! for this service, what type of lawyer would i look for? i know that there are special estate lawyers, but can any lawyer do this?

 

and erin, i def agree that it's the "responsible" thing to do.. i know for a fact that my parents do not have one and think because they don't really have anything, that they don't need it. being the oldest sibling i know that someday this is all going to fall on top of me. i certainly don't want to do that to anyone else!

[Jessica]

Not morbid at all.

 

We did all three. We were able to do it through our real estate lawyer. It cost us about $500. I am glad we did it. We were also able to name guardians for Aiden which helps ease the mind about all the "what ifs." I feel very strongly about having all my wishes written down.