Archive for October, 2009
Mother’s of the World_ _If You Don’t Do It _ It won’t Get done !
posted by bruceE @ 12:17 PM
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
In todays fast-paced world managing a household with a family and maybe working an outside job as well is demanding and very tough.
Bless those women who handle those tasks daily !.
Mother’s can be pulled in what seems like a thousand different directions by all their reponsibilities. There just never seems to be enough time to do everything they need to do, let alone what they want to do, would like to do, or must do. !
To the Mother’s who wear many hats and have several balls in the air at the same time, we have made it our mission to help them target an item vital to the welfare of their family._ _ That of setting aside the time with their partner to finalize their necessary WILL information.
That is the initial first step to collect the vital family information to then give to a lawyer, notary, or a financial planner of their choice to finalize their legal WILL.
Having completed all that, there is one extra step often over-looked by too many people. That is to verify with copies, as to WHERE that WILL is going to be kept so when it is needed it can be found without wasted time and extra costs of searching for that family document.
Too any WILLs cannot be executed because they can’t be found.
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“Where There’s a Will_ _ there’s a relative “_ _
posted by bruceE @ 12:20 PM
Monday, October 19, 2009
Wills
so says the late Ann Landers in her daily column back in 1975.
Ann Landers had received a letter signed “Will Aware” from a lady who had just gone thru a terrible experience with her close friend because of a properly drawn Will that was declared invalid.
This lady had been named the sole legal heir to her friends estate, but lost out in a lengthy court battle to other relatives, who heretofore had never cared for her friend for years. Those relatives contested the Will and ended up with everything, because the court ruled that although the lady had an attorney draw up a proper legal Will, she kept making hand written additions to the Will that ended up voiding the Will !.
” Will Aware” signed off her letter saying to Ann Landers, “To bad they don’t teach these things in schools. “ “ But your Ann Landers column is the next best place to learn. ”
In her reply, Ann Landers said “ Everyone should be aware of the importance of naming an executor and co-executor.” “When naming an executor, he or she should be younger and chosen with great care. “ Adding “ the way to make certain your money and your possessions will go where you want them to go, is to draw up a Will with the assistance of a lawyer, but be aware that changes made at a later date must be witnessed in accordance with the laws of your state/prov. ” “ Without the signatures of witnesses, the changes will not be considered valid. “
Wills
If an individual dies intestate ( without a will ) the Probate courts will determine how to distribute that person’s assets. But, even with a Will, if it cannot be located when needed, the Probate court rules !.
Although the court system may ultimately decide how to distribute that person’s assets in a manner that is consistent with the deceased’s wishes, there is no guarantee that this will occur.
There are other downsides to the probate process (and dying without a Will ) as well. For example, it could take many weeks or months or longer for the Courts to compile an accurate list of an individual’s assets
It could also take a prolonged period of time to identify and locate potential beneficiares. Unfortunately, until this process is complete, any monies may not be distributed, even to legitimate and known beneficiaries .
Even to flirt with the idea that you do nothing about your Will is a grave injustice to your family.
Your wife/partner, and your family put their trust in you to protect them from all adversity on an on-going basis, with no questions asked . And with your always busy schedule, you always recognize some things you are never able to quite get done.
It seems that getting around to sitting down with your wife/partner to talk about the necessity of getting your Will drafted is one of those missed opportunities?
Did you know that more than 80 out of a 100 citizens do not have a formal Will? And did you know that the less than 20 who have/had a Will, that it cannot be found when needed?
When a person dies without a written Will, the government of the country in which they live, may decide what will happen to their estate. If they have minor children, that government may also decide who will care for them without influence from any family? Worse yet, without a clear directive of final wishes like that specified in a written Will, many families are split apart fighting over their loved one’s estate. It can be assumed that no family wants to leave that kind of legacy for their loved one’s.
The TV headlines of contested Wills of Howard Hughes, Jim Brown, Micheal Jackson, Brooke Astor are prime examples.
There is nothing expensive, complicated nor time consuming about completing a Will, and one can’t put a price tag on the peace and comfort it brings to the family.
SO _ _ _ Assume that trust your family puts in you.
TODAY _ _ _ with your wife/partner, TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR FAMILIES FUTURE !
Wills
Knowing that you and your spouse have taken the necessary steps to put your Will information in motion for your lawyer, notary or financial planner.
YOU _ _ _ can begin that walk at this moment as you read this.
Too many people wake up one morning and realize that they MUST, and WILL cease procrastinating and relieve themselves of that constant gnawing feeling that they have not as yet addressed their important task of sitting down with their wife/partner to finally take care of this must-be-done responsibility to protect their assets and family members..
Much guidance and direction is available free on-line to help families assemble the information they will need to complete the details to then be given to their lawyer, notary, financial planner or whatever professional they will use to insure that they end up with the proper legal document that will withstand any court challenge. A LEGAL WILL !
The ball will remain in their hands until they DO something with it. For the sake of their family, DON’T let it be DROPPED !
Eliminate that Horrible Feeling that there is something you have forgot to do ?
posted by bruceE @ 8:19 AM
Saturday, October 17, 2009
How do we go about accumalating the required material to prepare our Will. ? Marriage license, dinorce papers, stock and bond records, birth certificates for parents and children, names and addresses of next of kin, mortgage records, our selection of who we will choose as our Executor/Executrix, and the list seems endless _ _ _ ?
Easy _ _ _ ? Follow a simple plan, ( like an airline pilot who files a flight plan before any flight he takes ), to secure and find all the material you will no doubt want. You could call it your flight plan to your Will preparation.
Like thousands of airline pilots daily, they set out a flight plan for their flight before they take off, and once airborne, they easily follow it to get to their destination thru rain, snow, clouds, and darkness to arrive at their destination safely.
There are such plans for action to completing your Will in the comfort of your own home available to you now, and Free of charge as well.! Go On-Line to such Internet headings as “writing your own Will”, or writing a legal Will”, or “register the location of your Will”, or “worldregistryofwills”, and download the Take Control of your Future ideas, and you have everything you will need to set up your material for the lawyer, notary, or financial planner you will need to select, to finalize your legal Will.
Money cannot buy the peace of mind that comes after that vitally important family document has been completed. Especially if there are children involved.
In this world of high-speed cyber-space living, there is nothing more constant than change!. Thusly, it behooves families to remind themselves to review their Wills at least every two years, or certainly when their family situations change, i.e. more children,
Too many of the world’s population live as if death were optional ! IT isn’t ?
Here are some key points and the importance of having a Will written as part of the family’s future plan. The alarming reminder here, is that everyone’s future starts tomorrow. ?
A. Life has a way of interupting our best made plans ! We can;t live without the reality that at some point in our lives we will have to deal with a serious and fatal illness or accident in our families.
Families that are well prepared will already have left written instructions by way of a Will or Living Will declaring how, and what will be done with their accumalated assets and arranging guardianship if there are children.
B. Taking action by planning for future health care can sometimes resolve the following:
* It helps ensure your desires about your personal health care are known and respected:
* It prevents unnecessary, intrusive, and sometimes costly medical treatment at the point in your life when you no longer want it :
*It gives authority to the person you may have selected to speak for you :
* It eliminates the anxiety and tremendous worry of loved ones caring for you because they have your guidance to follow. It is a very agonizing experience to have to make a serious medical decision on a loved one’s behalf:
* Planning for the action that must be taken to minimize the grief that accompanies any untimely illness and possible passing, is Not On The Radar of most world residents. IT JUST ISN’T DONE. It is of enormous importance for all adults ! ( Not just for OLD people as far too many believe ?)
* In that regard, most younger people should re-examine their belief that this type of planning is just for seniors when in actual fact they may have MORE at stake. Because, if struck by a serious illness or accident, the consequences of any medical decision can have devastating results that can last for decades ! They have yet to address how they want their futures handled unfortunately ?
Today _ _ _ as you think about your tomorrow’s and the future’s of your family , it is hard to imagine that you would not want to address this ” PLANNING FOR YOUR WILL “ agenda without further delay.
Don’t abandon your loved one’s because of no planning. You might not get another chance tomorrow !
As a Snowbird for 15 years to sourthern California 1990-2005, we saw first hand the importance of having a family Will in place,or no Will at all, when in another country.
In the eleven-hundred resident Seniors Mobile Home Park we wintered in, there were also several other Canadian and U,S.A.Snowbirds.
During our winter seasons there, more than 35 residents either died in the U.S.A. or Mexico, and many others had to be air-lifted home for severe health treatments. Most had family members spread throughout North America and the World, and it was determined later many had left a legacy of unorganized chaos for some families to clear up estate problems.
Don’t Gamble_ _ _ when you are out of your home country, without having a Will left at home. The consequences can sometime be to severe.
Even a hurry-up-temporary hand written letter of instructions to family members is better than no proper Will if you do not have time to get to your personal lawyer, notary or financial planner before you leave.
But_ _ _ above all_ _ _be sure to tell your family/friends WHERE your Letter/Will will be kept so it can be readily located if needed. If it can;t be found, your instructions cannot be carried out as you wished, and the Courts may take over to make decisions about your estate and possible guardians for your children.
This Gamble is too risky!
CONCERNED_ _ _ because you don”t know if there is a Will in the family ?
posted by bruceE @ 8:01 AM
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Here is a story about four individuals. One named Everybody, one named Somebody, one named Anybody, and one named Nobody.
There was the job of getting the family Will written, and Everybody was asked to do it. Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it. Somebody got angry about that because it was Everybody”s job. Everybody thought Anybody could do it, but Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn’t do it. It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when actually Nobody asked Anybody !
There is no obligation_ _ _ to pick the date and time to sit down with your partner to complete plans for the future of your family’s well being.
It is your choice to understand your options before you put off for a later date to finalize what future you plan for your family.
By having a proper Will drafted, you conclude an enormous obligation !
Life has a way of interupting our best plans, and life changing decisions may happen anytime!
On life”s journey if you come down with a serious illness, or accidently injured causing near death, would you have left a set of instructions written out for the protection of your family?
It is very unlikely that you will want complete Government Strangers deciding what to do with your accumalated assets, and deciding who will be Guardians for your children.
Without written instructions, or at least a hand written Will, the law in your jurisdiction and the probate court will make any final decisions about your assets and your children!
TAKE THE TIME TO WRITE OUT EXPLICIT GUIDANCE TO PROTECT TO PROTECT YOUR MOST PRECIOUS ASSETS TODAY