Estate planning is one of the most important things you can do no matter your age, income or location. Many people think you have to be super wealthy to need estate planning, particularly a Last Will and Testament, but that’s simply not true. It doesn’t matter how much money you make or what type of assets you have, a last will and testament is extremely important to ensure that you protect your family or friends.
It could even be argued that someone with low income and very few assets needs to execute a will just as much as a multi-millionaire to ensure their family receives the property they need. Many families struggle to make ends meet these days and proper estate planning will help you uncover any weaknesses in your plan that you can correct while you still have time. We help families in Alexandria, Louisiana with probate or succession matters.
Failure to execute a Last Will and Testament forces you to rely on state law to determine who gets your property when you die. You may think that you don’t have enough property and assets for it to make a difference, but we’ve seen plenty of situations where a family member inherited property that was already promised to someone else but wasn’t written down on paper. Your wishes for your property must be in writing and in the proper form in order to be valid. You can’t come back and tell the courts who you wanted to inherit your property so it’s important to speak with an attorney to make sure your wishes are heard.
You’ve probably heard the terms “testate” and “intestate.” This is simply a designation made for whether you die with or without a will. Testate means you died with a will and intestate means you did not execute a will or your will was found to be invalid by a court.
If you’re like me, you don’t want to depend on state law to distribute your property. A will is relatively easy and inexpensive to do and it can help your family years down the line. We offer affordable wills for any type of budget. We’ll walk you through the process and answer any questions you may have about drafting a will or succession in Alexandria, Louisiana. The Andries Law Firm helps clients all over the state, not just Alexandria, and we make sure you’re happy with your will and that your wishes are properly executed and recorded for when you pass.
Be Wary of Using Online Companies that You Can’t Verify
There are plenty of online will drafting companies that are eager to take your money. Keep in mind that these companies are run by non-attorneys and cannot give you legal advice. Louisiana law is different than any other state and online companies don’t know this and make irreversible mistakes that can cost your estate. Our probate law firm in Alexandria, La have seen wills that were done incorrectly and it was too late to do anything about it because the person had died. This is a hard conversation to have with an heir so make sure you choose a lawyer to help you with this process.
Contact our office via our website or send us a message at Jerome@AndriesLawFirm.com. You can call us at (318) 269-5857 to schedule a phone appointment. Let us know how we can help with your Last Will and Testament or Louisiana succession questions.
