Wills

"Where there's a will, there's a way." - Unofficial motto of the estate planning industry

When you think of estate planning, the first thing that usually comes to mind is having a will made. This is rightly so.

A properly drafted will is an essential part of any estate plan. It is the anchor through which the decedent's wishes are formally documented and conveyed. A will can also be described as the centerpiece of a good estate plan because it serves so many functions (e.g., making funeral arrangements, disposing of property, helping to minimize the impact of estate taxes).

Because of its importance to the estate planning process, we cover this topic in a detailed and (hopefully) understandable way. Normally, you'd have to sift through dozens of books and hundreds of pages of material to get this information. More importantly, we present the practical side of how this information translates to you and the real world.

To continue your voyage through the wonderful world of wills, please consult the following sections:

• What a Will Can Do for You: Instead of jumping right into the mechanics of how wills work, it is important to learn more about how wills help the estate planning process.
• What a Will Can't Do for You: While a will can do a lot, it can't do everything. In this section, you will learn about the limits to the powers of a will.
• What Is a Will, Anyway?: Whether or not you are mechanically inclined, you should still be familiar with the nuts and bolts of wills and how they work.
• Making a Will: As much as you may wish it were so, wills do not fall out of the sky or get left by magic elves in your cottage overnight. Learn how to make a will or at least where to get one made.
• Will Contests: Even though it doesn't happen very often, you should know what a will contest involves and its impact on the estate.
• Dying Without a Will: People die unprepared (literally and figuratively) everyday. Find out what occurs when a person dies without a will.