The sum of a person’s personal belongings and money, whether tangible or not, is that person’s estate, and when that person passes on, the correct paperwork will ensure that a deceased person’s estate is handled correctly, responsibly, and most of all, in line with that person’s intentions. If a person had a poorly written or nonexistent will, their money and property can be dispersed in unfair or impractical ways, and family members may be unable to help, or in fact they may be part of the problem. The good news is that a trust attorney or a wills attorney can provide similar services for a person’s estate while the client is still alive, and making a living will and making your voice heard in regards to your money and property can be totally manageable. Asset distribution can be made clear, simple, and fair when a trust attorney is helping out.
The Stats of Wills
Not everyone draws up a will, although general wisdom holds that nearly anyone with worthwhile assets should do so. Sometimes, not having a trust attorney or wills attorney can make someone unwilling to draw one up. In fact, sometimes it is a lack of motivation; around 35% of respondents to an AARP survey said that procrastination was the reason why they had not yet drawn up a will. Among adults without a plan, close to 27% of them said that there was no urgent need to create one, and 15% believed that they would never even need one at all. Another 29% of those without wills said that they do not even have enough assets to bother with writing a will. Sometimes, demographics of race or age can affect percentages of those with or without a will. 68% of African American adults have no will, and the same is true of 74% of Hispanics. Among those of the Millenial generation, those born between 1982-1995, 78% of people have no will, and among those of Generation X, born between 1964 and 1981, 64% of people do not have a will. But even small estates can become muddled or mismanaged without a will, so hiring a trust attorney or wills attorney can make sure that someone does not end up as such a statistic.
Why Hire a Trust Attorney or Estate Planning Attorney?
Any citizen who has been in the workforce for some years and owns property such as a car or truck, house, vacation home, boat, jewelry, or a small business probably has enough assets so that distribution of these items upon death will be a major issue. Some family members may not end up with the money or items that they need, and sometimes, it may in fact be other family members who abuse the deceased person’s estate for their own gain in the absence of a legally binding will. In other cases, unexpected taxes or fees may drain much more from an estate than expected, and this could be due to the deceased person’s carelessness in drawing up their will.
However, a trust attorney or will lawyer will have experience and expertise with handling laws concerning estates. This professional can guide any adult through the process of drawing up a will that is fair to the intended recipients, as well as handling or preventing heavy fees or taxes and making sure that the will is legally binding and works with local laws. Creditors of the will’s owner may try to seize the person’s estate upon their death, but a well written will can make sure that the estate is not ravaged in that manner. For younger family members, such as minors, a trustee may be assigned in the will to keep part of the estate safe until the intended recipient is ready for it. A trust attorney in particular can be useful for settling this part of a will.