S teps for making a will are outlined in a post by Erin Scottberg on Learnvest.com. Important advice includes being sure you comply with state laws on matters such as the number of witnesses required to sign a will, and updating your will to account for big life changes (while being careful to revoke earlier versions of the will). An experienced lawyer will know those details, but this page also includes links to online will-making software and do-it-yourself sites.
http://bit.ly/OeejJK
Do you need a lawyer to draw up your will? Nolo.com has been providing printed and online tools to avoid it for many years. But even Nolo allows that some people have lives and finances complicated enough to warrant having a lawyer. Business owners, people with a lot of money and need to do tax planning, or anyone out to specifically disinherit someone should consult experts. On the other hand, Nolo has state-by-state self-help guidelines.
http://bit.ly/oq2UeD
More on the pros and cons of using a lawyer for your will are discussed in another post, this older one at Inc.com.
http://bit.ly/8ZMlG0
Even younger adults should have a will, says this post at the website of Massachusetts lawyer Brian Mekdsy. It notes a report that only half of Americans with children have wills. Meanwhile, dying young is a fact of life, says Mekdsy, and a will can be used to designate guardians for children, leave property to an unmarried partner, or designate how to handle digital assets and social media accounts — a growing issue as we conduct more of our business and personal lives online.
http://bit.ly/MzdXkP
Contact staff writer Reid Kanaley at 215-854-5114, rkanaley@phillynews.com, or @ReidKan on Twitter.
