Wills Lawyer Bozeman, MT
Searching for a wills lawyer in Bozeman, Montana, and having a well thought out will made might seem like a daunting task at first. After all, a will is the foundation of your estate plan. There are many pieces to the estate planning puzzle and wills are a big puzzle piece. Simply put, a will is a written document that directs somebody, your personal representative or your executor, to go to the court and get the court to approve the will to give them the power to go transfer your assets the way you’ve directed. A will outlines your estate’s property, identifies your heirs, and names your personal representative (executor). If you have minor children, your will should also name a guardian for them.
When you’re ready to have your will crafted by a wills lawyer Bozeman, MT families recommend, keep in mind that a will is only one piece of the estate planning puzzle. Estate planning is a big, broad topic. You might be asking yourself, what defines an estate plan? An estate plan consists of various documents, usually, it includes your will, a health care power of attorney, financial power of attorney, and a living will (which is oftentimes in your health care power of attorney). Sometimes it can also include a trust or a series of other documents such as a Medicaid trust, a third-party trust, or a special needs trust. It also includes a document called a separate list where you list personal items such as family heirlooms and jewelry to be distributed upon your passing. Often an estate plan includes a trust of some kind, but let’s focus on wills in this blog post.
A will is a written document that directs whoever the personal representative is (your choice) to handle how to distribute all your assets to your beneficiaries, or to charities. A will directs the personal representative to go to the court and get approval from the court to go handle how your assets are moved. We strongly encourage our clients to also have a living will drafted when we’re drafting their will. A living will says, “If I have no hope of recovery and if I’m incapacitated, I don’t want you to use life-saving measures to keep me alive, let me pass with dignity.” We’ve all heard about the Terri Schiavo case down in Florida where the spouse couldn’t make the decision for his wife because she didn’t have a living will or health care power of attorney. This document is so incredibly important! Please, please, please make sure you include this document in your estate planning. You don’t want to be in a position where your spouse, or a loved one, can’t help you with healthcare decisions.
We all have different lives. We have different needs. We as humans are always operating from a fear level. It doesn’t even have to be about wills or estate planning, it can just be our lives. But that fear drives the way in which we handle our estate plan and our wills lawyers can help alleviate that fear for you! Don’t feel daunted when searching for a wills lawyers in Bozeman, Montana, the attorneys at Silverman Law Office are here to ease your fears! We don’t want fear to keep you from being where you want to be financially, and where your family expects you to be financially. Give us a call today!
