Wills Attorneys in St George, Utah

Imagine that you’ve been working hard all your life, making a decent living for yourself and your family. Then suddenly, you pass away. Who will take care of your family? What happens to your assets? That’s where estate planning comes in. An experienced St George estate planning lawyer can make sure your loved ones are cared for after death.

One of the ways to help your loved ones get their inheritance is through a will. A will is a document by which you state what you want to happen to your assets when you die. You can also set out your preference for a guardian of your minor children upon your death.

If you want to make sure that your loved ones are cared for after death, talk to our St George wills attorneys by calling 435-674-2564 today to get help drafting your last will and testament.

Drafting a Will in Utah

You write a will while you’re still alive, and the instructions set in it will be administered once you pass away. The person who has made the will is called the testator.

In the will, you’ll assign a person known as the “executor.” The executor will be the person to carry out your estate. Usually, there’s a probate process wherein the court determines the validity of the will and ensures that it’s executed according to your wishes.

A will is the foundation of an estate plan. It states what your wishes are for your estate and what you want to happen to them. An estate plan can be more than just a will, of course, but it’s the primary thing that probate court checks when determining your estate. Note that assets that which are not designated by a beneficiary, like retirement plans or life insurance policies, won’t be included as probate assets.

A will can be as straightforward or as intricate as your estate needs it to be. If you’re concerned about the welfare of your loved ones after you pass away, talk to our experienced St George wills attorneys today. We’ll help you prepare what you need to take care of your loved ones if an unfortunate event occurs.

Advantages of Having a Will

Still not sure if you need to create a will? Here are just a few of the benefits of having a last will and testament.

  • It’s a cheap way to distribute your assets.
  • It can cover everything in your estate.
  • It can make probate a lot easier for your loved ones.
  • It can be used for guardianship: letting you name a guardian for your dependents, such as your underage children or aging parents.

Even a simple last will and testament can be a tremendous benefit to your estate. If you want your intended beneficiaries to receive the inheritance they deserve, discuss your last wishes and what you want in your will with our skilled St George wills attorney!

Types of Wills in Utah

There are several different types of wills. While this is not an exhaustive list by any means, we’ve listed some of the most common ones below. Consult with our trusted St George wills attorneys to know what’s best for your estate.

Holographic Will

A holographic will is one you write with your own hand and witnessed in accordance with the law. These kinds of wills are as effective as any other. However, without a knowledgeable estate planning attorney, you may miss some crucial parts.

Holographic wills are not as common as they once were because the courts have set pretty strict rules about how they can work.

Contact a St George wills attorney now so you can ensure that your holographic will include all the most important parts.

Simple Will

A simple will is a fairly basic document prepared by your attorney that basically says two things:

  • When I die, do this with my property; and
  • If I have any kids, this is who I would like to raise them and take care of them.

Even a simple will can be a tremendous help, especially for people with a small estate. If you want to ensure that your simple will covers your beneficiaries, talk to our St George estate wills attorneys today.

Testamentary Trust

Another type of will that was popular many years ago, but is not as popular at the present time, is a testamentary trust. This is basically a will, that by its function, establishes a trust.

Several years ago, estate planning attorneys used this as a business continuation model. They would prepare the will that names them as the trustee or one of the trustees of the testamentary trust.

When a client passed away, they would begin to get additional work by functioning as a trustee. These have largely fallen out of favor and are no longer used very often, although they do have their place.

If you’re considering a testamentary trust for your estate, consider discussing all your options with our trusted St George estate planning attorney.

Pour-Over Will

The most common type of will is what is referred to as a pour-over will. This is a will that is prepared as part of a comprehensive estate planning package. It serves as a safety net and provides that any property that was not put into a person’s trust will be put into their trust upon their death.

Most recently, our office had a client who had a situation where someone had refinanced a home. It had been placed in their trust as part of their estate planning work. As part of that refinancing, the title company (at the insistence of their mortgage holder) transferred title to their home from the trust to their individual names.

However, they had not transferred the home back into the trust after the refinance. We had to do probate to put the asset back in the trust for distribution. This whole process ended up costing our client more than $3,000.00 and resulted in months of delays.

A pour-over will is almost always a good idea. If you want a pour-over will for your estate, discuss how to draft one with our experienced St George wills attorneys.

Joint Will

A joint will is one that’s signed by multiple people, which serves as a separate will for each of them. The terms of a joint will usually cannot be changed even after one of the testators dies. This can be a problem if the surviving spouse wishes to change the terms of the will.

If you and your spouse are considering a joint will, talk to our skilled St George wills lawyers to find out if it’s the right step for you. Since the terms of a joint will cannot change, it’s important that everything is in order with the document. Call our St George Utah law firm today!

Living Will

A living will is different from the others. Instead of determining how to distribute your property, it lets you pick the medical treatments to be given to you in the event that you become incapacitated.

If you’re concerned about what will happen to you if this happens, talk to our experienced St George estate planning lawyer about setting up a living will.

Get Help From Our St George Wills Attorneys!

A last will and testament is one of the most important documents you can have. A will is an indispensable tool if you want your hard-earned estate to fall into the hands of your loved ones.

Our St George wills attorneys at Boyack Christiansen Legal Solutions can help you draft a will and make life a thousand times easier for your heirs. Schedule a consultation with us today to prepare for and protect your family’s future.

We also assist in dealing with divorce, family law, criminal defense, and personal injury law matters in St. George and more communities in Utah.

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