August has been “National Make A Will Month,” and if you still haven’t started, experts say there’s no good reason to put it off. End-of-life planning can save loves ones stress, time, and money. Nearly 70-percent of Americans do not have a will, and even fewer have what’s known as a “living will,” which includes medical-care preferences if they’re unable to speak for themselves. Sam Young, with the nonprofit Compassion & Choices, says it can be easy to procrastinate, because people assume it’s too expensive, too complicated – or just too tough to think about the fact that they won’t live forever. Comments from Sam Young, director of legacy and planned giving at Compassion & Choices.
“COVID has really made us more aware of this, you know. It’s not just being terminally ill, or old – any of us can have a situation where we have to face that mortality.”
Young says you can consult an attorney to get started on your will, but he wants people to know the website ‘freewill.com’ is another option. It can help you create a document for free.
“It’s a comprehensive resource that allows you to literally create a will – when you’re done, I mean, you can print it out. And you know, you have to get it notarized and witnessed, depending on the requirements.”
Young adds that Compassion & Choices provides online guides for dementia directives, power of attorney, and other end-of-life-related services.
“We are here to help them get started, complete it, and be a resource for them in all aspects of whatever is helpful for the last chapter.”
It’s important to find out your state’s requirements for valid wills. Research has found that, at the height of the pandemic, many states’ legal systems were not equipped to address the uptick in self-made wills.
***Courtesy of the Illinois News Connection***
