Troubles Boil under the Surface
Disaster can strike without warning. It can be an automobile accident or a fatal heart attack. Whatever it is, children whose parents die intestate, meaning without a will, are in for some challenging times.
Several problems arise without a will:
- Guardianship.
Children will need somebody to handle their upbringing and financial forms. It is better to be able to appoint a guardian than have a court do it for you.
- Inheritance trouble.
If a parent dies intestate, all children inherit equally. That seems fair until you realize that the issue of an old love affair has a share equal to those born in a legal marriage.
- Matters of time.
Intestate means the probate court takes care of everything, and snails move faster. Money that children could use to pay college tuition will not be available until months later.
Serious Advantages to a Will
There are some benefits to having a will that affects children.
- You can name a guardian you trust
- Donations to a college fund can be part of the will.
- Child’s issue. This legal term defines a person’s children or lineal descendants as the heirs. It specifies that only those with direct bloodline qualify for a state benefit.
- Exclusion. A will can state who does not receive a portion of the estate. That can stop legal contests quickly.
Group legal plans ordinarily have the writing of simple wills as a benefit option. Countrywide Pre-Paid Legal Services is no exception. Therefore, we offer the drafting of a simple will as one of our group legal plan benefits.
A Professional and Not Template
Trust us; you do not want to draft a will using an online template. Your estate situation is unique, and a professional should do the work.
Countrywide has a nationwide network of attorneys who provide pre-paid legal services to all our group legal plan members. They give priority status to those associated with Countrywide.
A Countrywide lawyer is a teacher as well as a legal professional. That person will explain the ins and outs of a simple will to a group legal plan member. The Countrywide simple will is no more than six pages long, which is sufficient for most people. The Countrywide attorney ensures that the language is consistent with estate law and properly filed.
Listening is one of the pre-paid legal services that is free of charge. The document is written after consultation with a plan member. Countrywide will advise about what needs to be in the will, but it is what the plan member wants that will be in the document.
Working with a Client
What the client wants is how we prepare the group legal plan document. We explain all our benefits to a prospective client, answer all questions, and then request that management make some selections. Whatever benefit option the prospective client chooses will be part of the final document. Countrywide Pre—Paid Legal Services will provide excellent administration and superior member services for all clients. We maintain a close relationship with those organizations, and our dealings are transparent.
Drafting a simple will gives a person a sense of relief. It is one of those major projects that they can cross off the bucket list. Countrywide will send annual reminders to those plan members so they can request an update to the will if they wish. The Countrywide document drafts make estate settlement much more straightforward.
If you want to know more about our pre-paid legal services benefits, please get in touch with us at your earliest convenience. We will gladly explain our benefits and look forward to answering your questions.