It’s never easy to talk about death, whether it’s in front of your kids, your family, friends or any other loved ones. Preparing for such an inevitability is hard and there’s so much that goes into it, both on the preparation end and on the personal end. Hopefully it doesn’t happen for a very long time but there’s never a bad time to start thinking about preparations in case the unforeseen happens. It’s always better to get that preparation underway than be taken by surprise later and then everything has to be done at once. On the personal end, there’s having to talk to your loved ones about what will have to be done once you, or they, are gone, a conversation that can lead to all sorts of places both good and bad. Perhaps the conversation turns to explaining death to your children which is hard but necessary or maybe the conversation turns to home or job matters that will need to sorted out once things come to pass. On the professional and financial end, there are a whole host of other things you’ll need to consider, like who might be your replacement, should one be needed, at your job or how your life insurance policy works. Then there are the legal matters too, which are a whole other suite of talking points and general issues that you will need to bring up with your attorney. Whether it be a conversation about living wills, medical directives, legal matters, legal challenges or other things, it’s better to start it off now and let it go where it will so that you are absolutely prepared for every eventuality. Let’s take a little bit of a closer look at the idea of the will in general and what you might want or need to include in yours.
Starting At The Very Beginning
Wills are always going to be difficult things to write but that doesn’t mean they aren’t critically important. There are a few components to wills in general and we’re going to start at the very beginning and work our way down. The way you typically want to start off your will is with the words I, insert your name, being of sound and sound body. There are other ways to start off wills as well but this is a classic and establishes the rapport you are going to want with your audience. Now, the first section or two of your will is and ought to be about the very important matters you are leaving behind. Life insurance, for example, is a big thing or concept that you are going to want to address provided that you have it. If you are unsure exactly what your life insurance policy is, talk to your insurance company right away. The insurance company, no matter what kind of insurance company it is or what sort of insurances your insurance company sells, will be professional and diligent about explaining what kind of insurance you have and how it gets distributed among your loved ones and the people you know.
A Few Sections Down
Following your discussion of the insurance company and life insurance, you are going to want to start discussing all of your actual physical possessions, your home, car, personal effects, all of the things you own that are not actual cash. Who you want to leave these too and who gets what is entirely up to you but try to think necessity and fairness before everything else. Personal preference as well, since it may be that your daughter would want your power tools, maybe she’s into woodworking, and your son might want your collection of ships, perhaps he is into sailing. It’s all just a matter of who would want what and what can your relatives and loved ones manage effectively. These are all more personal questions that it is up to you to decide, not the insurance company or an outside source. Finally, after all that is sorted out, you’re going to want get personal and say what you need to say to the people you love. Think hard and be open. The last bit is the most important.