Is Dying Legal?

Many public surveys have shown that 70-80 percent of Americans don't have an up-to-date will. So what?

Well, for you it's no big deal, right? After all, you have nothing more to worry about. You're now resting quietly unable to voice your opinions. While your enemies might like that, it may not go well for your family if you don't have a will, especially if you have young children, assets and maybe even a divorced spouse hanging around to see what he or she can collect when the state decides what to do with your assets and your children.

Most people have no idea of the consequences for not making your final requests part of the permanent legal record. Without a guide for the probate judge to go by, the state then takes over and takes a healthy portion of what you once owned and then maybe your family might get some of the pie.

So why not get a will done now? There are dozens of excuses. Here are a few.

"I have nothing anybody wants." - How do you know? Some of the most insignificant items are fought over by families because the deceased didn't bother to tell anyone who would get them. "I don't have the money to pay a lawyer to create a will." - This is actually a fairly good excuse. But if you have Pre-Paid Legal Family Plan, a will comes free with the service for the husband and wife or domestic partners. The service costs only $19.95 per month with no contract. So now a real lawyer can draft your wills for less than $20 per month. Is lack of money really an excuse? "My children under 18 will go to my sister or brother." - Maybe and maybe not. You now have no control over what a judge will do with your children if you and your wife suddenly passed away. On 911 about 3000 people did not anticipate losing their lives. Consequently, many of the children of those families ended up in foster homes because their parents did not have wills. "I have a will from years ago on a piece of paper somewhere." - That document may not hold up in probate. Suppose you have a piece of property that you want to transfer to a family member after you die. If the documents of transfer aren't drawn up properly, how do you know your wishes will be carried out?

You see, dying is a legal process just like birth. You will generate paper work regardless of your status. For example, my sister is a hospice administrator who constantly signs death certificates and must ensure the accuracy of those certificates as best she can so that the government knows where you are.

In closing, we spend so much time in life creating family and accumulating assets. Doesn't it make sense to make sure they are transferred properly according to your wishes?

For more information on legal plans for your family, go to www.neverquitworking.com.

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