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Your Last Will and Testament: How and Where to Get Your Final Directives

A growing number of men and women have come to recognize the indisputable importance of making sure that their affairs will be in order when they pass on, when they die. As a consequence, a growing number of people have a clearer understanding of the vital necessity of a last will and testament in many instances. (Not everyone needs a last will and testament. There are some instances when a person has little or no property to speak of and his or her heir or heirs are obvious. For example, an elderly man whose wife has predeceased him but who has two surviving children may not need a last will and testament if he has a limited amount of property and if he wants the property to pass equally between his two children.)

With that said, many adults are best served by making certain that they do have a last will and testament in place. You really have three courses of action to choose from if you are contemplating the creation of a last will and testament. First, you can muddle through and try and come up with your own last will and testament by hand. Second, you can obtain a form last will and testament, a pre-made last will and testament that often can be purchased at office supply stores and similar merchants. Finally you can have your last will and testament prepared by a lawyer.

In reality, you likely will not be well served preparing your own last will and testament from scratch. Even with the aid of an instructional book on preparing a last will and testament, you likely are to miss important elements and you may end up with a document that does not do what you intend. Indeed, depending on how you draft a last will and testament on your own, you may end up with a stack of papers that are of no effect whatsoever.

In some instances, the pre-made last will and testament forms are adequate. However, because the laws involving a last will and testament differ at least to some degree from state to state, you will need to make certain that the form you use meets muster in the state in which you reside. In other words, you may end up having to consult a lawyer to see if the standard form last will and testament you intend to use will actually work.

When all is said and done, your best bet very well may be to retain a lawyer to draft your last will and testament. You may be surprised to learn that many lawyers actually do not charge all that much for a simple last will and testament. They operate on the premise that if they provide you with a valuable last will and testament at a reasonable price, you will return to their office in the future if you are in need of legal services. Therefore, you likely will be able to obtain a last will and testament from a lawyer at a reasonable cost.

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