Will - You Be Prepared

If you have ever spent time in an attorney’s office, you know how intimidating that experience can be. You sit and listen intently as your lawyer rattles on in ‘legalese’ that ends up sounding something like Charlie Brown’s teacher WHAA WHA WHA WHAAA…what? At the end of the session, they ask if you have any questions (you do!) but you are afraid to respond for fear of appearing foolish, or worse yet, how much the answer will cost you when paying by the minute.

To help our mommas with important legal matters, we approached Frank Edens, Attorney and CEO of USLegal. Every month, Mr. Edens will break down one legal topic in a language we can all understand, and at a price we can all appreciate – free!

This month, Mr. Edens was kind enough to take time out of his very busy schedule to share helpful information about why we all need to write a will. This subject matter is scary to even think about, but important enough that we need to temporarily bypass our fear and pay close attention.

Mamapedia: What is a will?
Edens: A will, more formally know as a last will and testament, is a document where a person (called a testator) names another person (called an executor) to carry out the transfer of their assets at death. Assets are referred to as an ‘estate.’

Mamapedia: Do I need a will even if I don’t have a lot of money or own property?
Edens: You should have a will regardless of having money or property; being single or married; or whether or not you have children.

A will is the best way to express your intentions when you are not able to yourself. If you have children, who will care for them, and how you want them cared for, is going to be a critical part of your will. Those are issues no mother wants left up to chance.

Mamapedia: If there is no will in place, what will happen?
Edens: Someone who dies without a will is said to have died “intestate.” Without a will, all aspects of your estate will be determined by your state’s normal practices, generally following these guidelines:

• If the person who died is married without children, their spouse inherits the whole estate.
• If the person who died is married and has children, the spouse and each child share the estate equally.
• If the person who died has children and isn’t married, the children inherit the estate in equal parts.

Mamapedia: Once completed, where should our will be kept?
Edens: The best place to keep a will is in a safe deposit box, or a safe at home. Make a copy and place in another location, such as with a relative or accountant.

Mamapedia: Final reason to consider making up a will?
Edens: A person’s property may wind up being distributed in a way they never would have chosen. Additionally, managing an estate for a person who has no will generally takes longer and is a more expensive process; ultimately leaving less for survivors.

Follow this link to read this interview in its entirety.

Exclusively for Mamapedia readers during the month of May, USLegal has generously offered their will document for only $15.00 — a 50% savings and a small price to pay for peace of mind. Check out their amazing offer here.

Frank Edens, CEO of USLegal, started his company fifteen years ago as a way to help people gain easy access to legal information and products. According to TopTenReviews.com", USLegal is ranked as the country’s leading supplier of legal form products, and has been for seven years running.