As soon as you are old enough to have dependents or significant assets of your own, it’s time to create a will. A will is the one legal measure that can ensure your desires are followed after your death or incapacitation. This document offers a number of protections and benefits for loved ones—and, in some cases, for you.

Provide for Family

One of the most important roles of a will is to ensure that the family—especially any minor dependents—will get the benefit of whatever property you accumulated during life. Not only can you pass on money and possessions, but a lawyer can help set up measures, such as a trust, which will ensure the money is used in a way you approve of to provide lasting care and security.

Make Wishes Known

When you think of the wishes in a will, you probably imagine instructions for distributing possessions among relatives. While that is important, the will writing process can also go beyond that to create an advance directive for medical care when you can’t make those decisions. This is particularly important if your desires are significantly different from those of family members who may end up with decision making power.

Minimize Estate Tax

Depending on how the estate is organized and how much it’s worth, you may have to pay a significant estate tax—or none at all. A good estate lawyer can help take advantage of exemptions and gift rules to minimize the cost. At the same time, you’ll be making things clearer for the executor of the estate, so it will spend less time in probate court and be distributed to loved ones more quickly.

If you don’t have a will in place, now is the time to get started. Stringer, Stringer, & Gasior serves Avon, OH, with reliable legal advice on worker’s comp, personal injury, and probate law. They work on a contingency basis—meaning that you don’t have to pay them unless they win the case—and are pleased to accommodate both English and Spanish-speaking clients. To learn more, call (440) 934-7676 or send a message online.