subject: Your Last Will: A Way To Show How Much You Care [print this page] There is only one thing sure in life and that is death. Surely, nobody likes to deal with health or economic issues, much less do we want to be engaged in a property family feud. There are several steps that you can take to protect your spouse or significant other, your children, pet, and your friends, should you become unable to communicate.
Make sure your spouse or life companion gets what he or she deserves in a case like this. Plan ahead. Consult with an attorney or an estate planner to handle your estate planning. If you don't have children and a written legal will, your property will go to your surviving parents or siblings. In other words, if you pass on and you do not have a written legal will, your property will not go to your spouse or partner. Neither would it have gone to any of the important people in your life. Even if you really cared for someone, the government cannot prove that and will place you belongings, accordingly. This may be against your will, and the way you would have liked, but if there's no proof, the law prevails. To summarize the story, this is the reason it is so important to create a written, valid will.
Should you have an accident and become unable to communicate your healthcare preferences, what you are leaving to your relatives - who might not even know what your beliefs are - to decide issues regarding the management of your body, and ultimately your life in a critical situation.
If you anser these questions in your Last Will, you'll feel more comfortable about life and what it brings to you. Do you want your life to be extended if you are suffering from a fatal condition and have come to the stage where doctors have used all the treatment options science has to offer? Do you want to be cremated or buried? These are tough questions. You should not let your relatives answer them for you.
You're given the opportunity to voice your opinion even if you are not able to speak. How? Prepare your Health Care Directive. When working with this document, you will appoint a trusted person as your authorized representative in a situation like the one described above.
If you consider your options early on, you will ensure the quality of life that is important to you. This will also help you avoid forcing loved ones to decide your critical decisions under stress or in times of emotional turmoil.
