# Meeting with Attorney



## Inayah (Aug 14, 2016)

Hello everyone, hope you all are well, weather getting better.

I read some KP friends here discussed about having a will.

I am not sure about these and am going to have a meeting. Any friends know what are the following: 

1. A Will? 

2. Living Trust? 

3. Durable Power of Attorney? 

4. Advanced Health Care Directive?

How much do Attorneys charge?

How often do you have to renew/change?

Any more information you can provide would be appreciated.

Thank you.


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## ChasingRainbows (May 12, 2012)

You can Google those items to get info. As far as lawyers fees, that depends on where you live.


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## Mitzi (May 8, 2011)

If you are planning on leaving an inheritance to your children, you may need to change the will when tax laws change. New laws just came about limiting inheritance and putting new rules on inheritance. A friend recently started to refinance their home and take out $300,000 to have on hand in case it was needed if one passed and the other wanted to stay in the house for a while before making changes. This was recommended to do asap by her lawyer. It hasn't been completed yet and her husband was getting dementia so she wanted to get things signed while he still could sign. Well, he got pnemonia, almost passed, is now home from the hospital with round the clock care (costing a fortune) and will very likely pass soon. He did not want to go into a care facility and was very disoriented being in the hospital. He is much happier at home and would much rather die at home. It is an act of love that she brought him home and they honestly didn't expect him to last more then a few days or weeks. Not sure what will happen but not good. Downside is she hadn't managed to get money out for such emergencies and may not be able to now.


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## Barbeevw (Dec 10, 2012)

As already suggested, you can go to the internet to get some of these terms explained. 
A suggestion: phone attorney offices and ask if they have a free initial or phone meeting. Some do and some don't. In my state, many provide 30 minutes free.
You could call several offices and ask for a definition of a term or how do two of these differ from each other. Then, when you do decide to make an appointment, you will be better informed.
Attorneys are pricey -- no getting around that -- so the better informed you are ahead of time, the more money you will save.
I don't know where you live, but typically attorneys in high-rise buildings in large cities charge much more. What you are asking for is estate law and that usually is not as expensive, unless you have a huge estate or many relatives or anticipate one of them contesting your wishes.

As to a Living Will, you fill out how, who, and what you want for treatment and care in your latter days. If you contact FIVE WISHES (still located in Florida, I think) the form is easy to understand and complete and costs about $5. Two people who are not relatives witness your signature. This is a legal document that is recognized in all 50 states and you can file a copy with your physician. It does not need to be renewed and doesn't change until and unless you want it to. It takes the burden off your survivors because you have made your decisions and they do not need to wonder what you would want. My adult children have thanked me for this "gift" to them.

Best wishes as you tread this difficult path.


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## nutcracker1 (Jan 21, 2017)

Some of these documents, especially Durable Power of Attorney and Health Care Directives, vary a lot by state, so be sure it's correct for where you live. The best way to do that is to see an attorney.


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## Mariette R. (Dec 31, 2015)

You can download these documents online for free for your specific state. Have two non family members sign. Check with your local senior citizens organization for advice or your church pastor who knows a paralegal from the congregation who would help you for free.


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## seamer45 (Jan 18, 2011)

The cost will vary, but it isn’t cheap, probably several hundred dollars or the equivalent where ever you are. 
Yiur other questions, I’d look them up, but the whole point of seeing a lawyer is to have them sort out what you need for whatever plans you have. And there are even several items you haven’t mentioned. We don’t shave enough assets to do some of the things you mentioned. Our wills are very straightforward.


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## daisysmom (Dec 1, 2011)

The only little bit of advice I can give is try to get recommendations, Don't just pick out an attorney from the phone book or TV ad. Talk to friends to see if they've had good experience with an attorney.


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## uscgmom4 (Jul 6, 2012)

Have all of the above done in Florida plus a will for PR in case there are still assets(my husband’s side)! We paid $1,950.00
Should add we sold the house in FL, do not own vehicles, we did traded the small camper for a fifth wheel, purchased 3 1/2 acres in Colorad…
When we build the house will make addendum to the will and have it notarized.


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## wjeanc (Nov 15, 2012)

Being a recently retired legal assistant with 40+ years I can give you the following definitions but cannot and am not giving you legal advice as to which of these you may need if any:

First and foremost you should contact an attorney of your choice and make an appointment. In my region, many attorneys have flat, all inclusive fees for preparation of any or all of those documents listed and your initial conference will probably be included in those fees. The amount of attorney fees varies depending on which of the documents you need and from state to state and even from county to county. This attorney will be able to give you appropriate counsel as to your rights and needs in your area and based on your circumstances.

1. Will: divides your solely owned assets (i.e. real estate, vehicles or bank accounts in your sole name, not jointly owned with another with right of survivorship). In most areas jointly owned properties pass automatically to your survivor upon your death. Business properties, assets and interests may need to be handled differently so ask the attorney about this. Life insurance, unless it has your estate or trust named as the beneficiary, automatically goes to the beneficiary and is not part of your estate.

2. Living Trust: Most people will not need this unless they have a large amount of assets. This is another thing to specifically discuss with your attorney. In the event you meant living will, see #4.

3. Durable Power of Attorney: gives your designee power to act in your place should you become unable to do so yourself to maintain your financial assets, pay your bills, etc, and becomes null and void upon your revocation of the Power Of Attorney or your death. Be very careful whom you choose to be your Power of Attorney as you are giving them total control and power over your assets.

4. Advanced Health Care Directives (in my area it includes your living will): This makes provisions for someone you trust and with whom you have discussed your medical wishes should you become incapacitated and/or unable to make decisions on your medical care. Again, be very careful who you appoint as they literally have the power of life and death over you. You must discuss with your trusted relative or friend whom you appoint as your health care designee/surrogate in detail what your wishes are should you have to be placed in emergency, critical care and cannot make the medical care decisions yourself.

It is recommended that all of these documents be reviewed and updated/replaced every seven (7) years.


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## rainie (Jan 12, 2013)

There is a specialty called elder law. My mother and MIL went to one after my Dad died. She made great suggestions on things like "spend-down", Power of Attorney [the second the person dies, the POA is no longer valid-what now?], the will-keep it simple.


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## cgbrn01 (Feb 15, 2015)

My dad went to attorney and had a trust! Supposed to be ALL SET, three years later we are Still dealing with it! Costing us a fortune. Had to get order from a judge to get a bank to release his money AND the attorney in addition had to threaten them with going to jail if they didn’t obey court order. It’s been a nightmare. I’m sure my dad is ready to come back from the dead He worked so hard to get everything taken care for us.


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## nancyannin (Apr 9, 2012)

wjeanc said:


> Being a recently retired legal assistant with 40+ years I can give you the following definitions but cannot and am not giving you legal advice as to which of these you may need if any:
> 
> Thank you, wjeanc, for your explanation of all the terms. I've saved these on my laptop for future reference. I had a vague understanding of all this, but some time in the future, I need to give this more thought and get some documents updated. I really appreciate your clear explanations.


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## Geebart (Jun 2, 2014)

You can get good descriptions bt looking on Google and specifying your state. I am executor if my mothers estate and our attorney costs $350 an hour (would cost more in urban areas). My mother had a pretty big estate including a house and 500 acres of farm land- probate was required. My SIL left a very small estate and probate was not required, so very little need for an attorney. Texas.


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## headlemk (Feb 16, 2011)

Some attorneys have an hourly fee, some work on retainer.


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## spins2knit (Jul 29, 2013)

I have all the relevant documents and did it using LegalZoom www.legalzoom.com
It was easy for me and under $200 at the time. 
I am getting ready to update for the simple reason that some of those mentioned are no longer around or able.
There is access to a lawyer through the site.


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## Mumsy1 (Feb 14, 2019)

Our credit union has this service for members. We did all of this with one of their attorneys, and it cost us $250!


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## marciawm (Jun 2, 2015)

There are attorneys that specialize in Eldercare and Estate planning. That would be my first choice.


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## jberg (Mar 23, 2011)

We very recently did this very same thing on the advice of a financial advisor. We had a free phone conference with a well-respected attorney who does elder law. He then sent us paperwork of things we needed to do. We already had done most of them but we will be meeting with him soon to update our wills and set up trusts for the Grands. Good luck with this. And congrats for doing something so very necessary nowadays. Many people ignore it which in this day and age you just can't do. jberg


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## KathrynDay (Jan 31, 2017)

If you pay an attorney by the hour, you could save some time by downloading some of these forms, and by having all your information ready. The advanced health care directive is actually a medical power of attorney. I had recent surgery that involved anaesthesia, and one of the pre-surgery questions was if I had one of these. It wasn't major surgery and we didn't expect anything awful, but it was just a procedural check - and a good one.


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## LovesK2P2 (Oct 12, 2016)

Here in NJ my Mom had a will drawn up and it cost her over $900, but with Covid some lawyers are working from home and have gotten rid of their expensive offices so my will cost $350, the Advance health care directive plus the power of attorney will bring the total bill up to $500. Three years ago my brother died without a will in California, and his estate still isn't settled. I'm going to spare my family that nightmare by getting a will.


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## ilmacheryl (Feb 3, 2013)

We finally got an attorney to help us write a will, and then we moved from Kansas to Minnesota. Naw, we may need to see another attorney to adjust it to comply with Minnesota law.


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## rainie (Jan 12, 2013)

ilmacheryl said:


> We finally got an attorney to help us write a will, and then we moved from Kansas to Minnesota. Naw, we may need to see another attorney to adjust it to comply with Minnesota law.


Yeah, we're kinda weird. Avoid probate.


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## Woodsywife (Mar 9, 2014)

Make sure you are seeing an estate attorney. Laws are different in each state. When my mother died living in NJ. My dad just had to take copy of will, poa and death certificate to court to be declared legal next of kin, took 2 weeks. Then had to get all new documents to name someone else for my dad since my mom was now gone. Then had my dad moved to PA. PA laws are different. When he died 1 1/2 yrs ago, I had to be sworn in as executrix of his estate. I had poa, guardianship, medical directives poa, financial poa. I was on his accounts. Joint on checking so I could pay bills. TOD on investments. Except for 3 stocks he had certificates off with no beneficiary named. The state got those right off the top. Over $30,000. When he died it took a year to get his estate closed. Even though I was beneficiary and tod, state taxes had to be paid. Half of any joint account was frozen. 3 ads had to be placed in paper at 1 month a part for any person (creditors) who has dealings with him to settle. They had 1 yr to come forward. His last federal and state taxes could not be filed until all that was done and we had certificate stating that. Without will, poa, the State decides who gets what. I was told by someone to divert money into an account without his name on it. I put his pension checks, dividend checks, and his minimum distribution checks in that. That would pay for his facility if he out lived his long term care insurance. Medicaid must be paid back if person goes on that.


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## CBratt (Dec 6, 2012)

Inayah said:


> Hello everyone, hope you all are well, weather getting better.
> 
> I read some KP friends here discussed about having a will.
> 
> ...


A will is a legal document that allows you to specify to whom you would like to "will" your assets to. It will designate who will be the person to take care of your assets upon your death.

I believe a living trust is when you deed your home to whomever but as long as you live it is yours and only becomes their property upon your death.

A Power of Attorney is when you designate someone to make decisions for your when you are no longer able to do so.

An advanced health care directive allows you to designate someone to make medical decision for you when you are no longer able to do so.

As for attorney's fees they vary. I worked in law offices all my life and I wanted a simple reciprocal will done for me and my husband and the lawyer whom I knew told me he would do it for some ungodly fee of $1,000 or more. After talking to him he agreed to do it for $300.00. If you are having a basic will done, where you leave all to your husband and he leaves all to you and in the event both of you have passed everything goes to your children, believe me when I tell you that they take a will with boilermaker text and just change the names and the dates. It takes a legal assistant less than a half hour to do it. But they will charge you some horrible price. And by the way, my son is a lawyer so I know that I am talking about.


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## Woodsywife (Mar 9, 2014)

Anytime a big event happens in your life (marriage, divorce, baby, death, move), you need to review your papers and adjust as necessary. If move to different state, laws change. Get original documents bring to new attorney in new state to file with proper department of new state.


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## camy_o (May 20, 2015)

Here in Iowa there is Legal Aide for Seniors .You call,state your legal problem and they will decide if they can help you. A lawyer will call and discuss your problem and advise and this legal advice is free to elderly low income Iowans. A similar service may be available in other states.


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## Crochetnknit (Apr 10, 2013)

We just had all that taken care of. Attorney changed our house deed to a "ladybird deed". This allows the house to pass through without probate which is costly.

He advised us to make certain that all bank accounts paperwork named beneficiaries "payable on death" ... this also avoids probate.

And so on and so on. Even though we knew we could download all the forms and do it ourselves, we were advised by several people to have an attorney do it to make certain that it was correct for our state and wishes.

DH and I named each other for the power of attorneys and so on but them did others naming one of our sons in case both of us are incapacitated at same time.

Like I said, don't do it yourself. Too many pitfalls. Get competent advice!!!

Oh yes, the total charge was $1300.


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## headlemk (Feb 16, 2011)

After dealing with probate for my mother's will, I would highly recommend a trust instead as of a will. No probate.


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## K.C. (Jun 29, 2012)

Check with the senior center in your area. I went to an estate planning seminar at my local senior center (Colorado) that was free and was delighted to find out that I also received free an updated will, power of attorney, and medical power of attorney because the presenter had written a grant enabling him to offer these to the over 60-year-olds enrolled in the class. I was surprised and thrilled with the outcome.


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## knitting4friends (Jan 10, 2012)

May I ask about probate?


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## Deegle (Sep 25, 2015)

Inayah said:


> Hello everyone, hope you all are well, weather getting better.
> 
> I read some KP friends here discussed about having a will.
> 
> ...


We're doing this at the moment and are told a will and enduring power of attorney are the most important. Here is Ireland, a will is not too expensive but power of attorney carries a lot more work and a high charge.


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## Geebart (Jun 2, 2014)

Crochetnknit said:


> We just had all that taken care of. Attorney changed our house deed to a "ladybird deed". This allows the house to pass through without probate which is costly.
> 
> He advised us to make certain that all bank accounts paperwork named beneficiaries "payable on death" ... this also avoids probate.
> 
> ...


Payable on Death - PAD- to beneficiaries was one of the best things my parents ever did - especially as they mostly invested in CDs. Made my job as executor so easy. Or executioner as one bank clerk called me!


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## MarilynKnits (Aug 30, 2011)

I strongly suggest you employ an elder care lawyer. It won't be cheap but worth every dollar with someone who knows the laws of your state and will help you manage your funds to your best advantage while you are around and protect the interest of your heirs after you are gone.


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## Murphie (Jan 6, 2019)

One of our concerns was how would one of us survive on our income if the other went into a nursing home on Medicaid. What assets could Medicaid take?
Going online to the Medicaid website we filled out a form and an attorney contacted us, explained all the laws concerning Medicaid in our state via phone. We drew up a Will, POA, Heath Care Surrogate and Living Will all through email, phone conversations and final copies via US mail. We signed them all at the notary office, sent an original to the attorney, kept an original, and sent one to our executor. Cost was $1200. We could have done it through one of those online companies, but we knew it was done correctly with an attorney and our private info was more secure in an attorney's vault rather than on some site online. We set up alternative designations so all the documents remain the same even after one of us dies. The responsibilities and inheritances just pass on to the alternative person after the last of us dies so there's no need to have new docs made unless we make changes.


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## damemary (Mar 14, 2012)

Call attorney immediately to see what can be done.



Mitzi said:


> If you are planning on leaving an inheritance to your children, you may need to change the will when tax laws change. New laws just came about limiting inheritance and putting new rules on inheritance. A friend recently started to refinance their home and take out $300,000 to have on hand in case it was needed if one passed and the other wanted to stay in the house for a while before making changes. This was recommended to do asap by her lawyer. It hasn't been completed yet and her husband was getting dementia so she wanted to get things signed while he still could sign. Well, he got pnemonia, almost passed, is now home from the hospital with round the clock care (costing a fortune) and will very likely pass soon. He did not want to go into a care facility and was very disoriented being in the hospital. He is much happier at home and would much rather die at home. It is an act of love that she brought him home and they honestly didn't expect him to last more then a few days or weeks. Not sure what will happen but not good. Downside is she hadn't managed to get money out for such emergencies and may not be able to now.


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## damemary (Mar 14, 2012)

Small town adjacent to city. Small estate, uncomplicated. $2,500 for will, trust, Medical POA.


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## LEE1313 (Jan 25, 2011)

Check your local Senior Place. MANY offer free help.


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## damemary (Mar 14, 2012)

You must transfer assets into the trust. The legal owner(s) are the only ones able to do this. It's just an empty trust without this action. I believe this is what happened in your Dad's case. Let it be a lesson to us all.



cgbrn01 said:


> My dad went to attorney and had a trust! Supposed to be ALL SET, three years later we are Still dealing with it! Costing us a fortune. Had to get order from a judge to get a bank to release his money AND the attorney in addition had to threaten them with going to jail if they didn't obey court order. It's been a nightmare. I'm sure my dad is ready to come back from the dead He worked so hard to get everything taken care for us.


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## MarilynKnits (Aug 30, 2011)

Making sure which assets went into the trust was one of the things our attorney helped us decide. There are some assets like insurance policies that he had us review regarding beneficiaries that could stay out of the trust. We are lucky that our only child, our daughter, is a sensible reliable person who has always looked out for our well being. She was with us at the attorney's office so we were all on the same page regarding the wills, the power of attorney forms, the dnr documents and the medical poa forms.


damemary said:


> You must transfer assets into the trust. The legal owner(s) are the only ones able to do this. It's just an empty trust without this action. I believe this is what happened in your Dad's case. Let it be a lesson to us all.


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## lupines (Aug 1, 2012)

Crochetnknit said:


> We just had all that taken care of. Attorney changed our house deed to a "ladybird deed". This allows the house to pass through without probate which is costly.
> 
> He advised us to make certain that all bank accounts paperwork named beneficiaries "payable on death" ... this also avoids probate.
> 
> ...


Never heard of this so I looked it up. Seems good where it is available.
Ladybird deed only available in FL, Texas, Michigan, Vermont and West Virginia.


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## EqLady (Sep 1, 2011)

You will need all of those, and your attorney will explain them to you. Ahead of the meeting, just google the terms for a simple definition. Fees will vary depending on the complexity and your personal situation and could range from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars.


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## lupines (Aug 1, 2012)

Just started on my aunt's estate in Massachusetts. She selected me as personal representative - same as executor, different states, different titles.
Food for thought, based on what I learned based on having my own will/trust drawn up and starting involvement with my aunt's estate.

If married, you can usually work around issues when first dies, since most items would be joint. Issues arise on second death or if single. Definitely need will/trusts then.

Most important - choose an attorney who specializes in estates and probate, or at least does a lot of work in this field. They have seen many estates, will anticipate potential problems with beneficiaries and draft documents in such a way as to avoid the problems. My aunt choose an inexperienced attorney, and there have already been problems with the POA. Just starting to file probate, and I hope there are not too many problems with the actual will, but the 5 kids are already fighting. Some things specified in her will contradict state law, (not sure yet which will control) and I'm not sure if the kids will fight to keep stuff based on state law if that controls, or will follow her wishes and be fair to the other kids.

Check beneficiary designations on everything and make sure all are up to date and name the proper person/s. Any items with beneficiary designations avoid probate and will pass quickly to beneficiary. My aunt's Bank accounts will be distributed same day bank receives death certificate. Her annuities will be distributed in 2 to 4 weeks. 

All the rest, in her case, will go through probate. Probate needs to be kept open 1 year (in MA) to allow any possible creditors to make claims against the estate. Final distributions cannot be made til then, as executor is liable if he pays out too much.
One way around this, when planning, is to set up a living trust (revocable trust). While alive, everything in the trust is still treated as your own personal property. Upon your death, everything in a living trust does not go through probate, and can be distributed fairly rapidly to the beneficiaries named in the trust. Important - make sure to retitle everything you want in the living trust, otherwise, just having a trust doesn't help. This type of trust generally allows your "trustee" to pay your bills without needing a POA or court filings. Generally you and spouse would be trustees, and you would pick a successor trustee in case you both become incapacitated.

An Irrevocable Trust is generally used for Medicare/Medicaid planning to protect from nursing home seizure. We placed our house in an irrevocable trust. As long as the house is in the trust for more than five years (in MA and NH) before you apply for Medicaid, it is protected from Medicare/Medicaid seizure. You cannot take house out of trust, mortgage the house, do a reverse mortgage, sell house and pocket proceeds, etc. Make sure you are okay with whatever restrictions would apply in your state, before you retitle the house.

Power of attorney - if properly drafted, basically lets someone do anything you can do, but only while you are alive. Two types - Durable POA takes effect immediately. Springing POA takes effect usually when one or two doctors say you are incapacitated. POA dies with the person.

Health care proxy gives someone ability to make medical decisions on your behalf, plus gives doctors the right to discuss patient's condition/possible treatment plans with someone else. Many times, nursing homes and hospitals will fill these out with you no charge. 

This is what I understand from what I've been told by attys relating to my own and my aunt's situations. Info applies specifically to MA and NH, though many other states may be similar.

On Line, search for Elder Law Attorneys. Many of them have lots of general info on line to help you educate yourself. Before you make an appointment, sit down and think of who you want to receive your property, who you trust to handle your finances, handle your health care issues. Do you want to leave special bequests to grandchildren, charities etc. The clearer you are on what you want, the easier the planning will become. (shorter, less expensive attorney meeting - you don't want to be paying $300 hour to the attorney while you hem and haw over who gets what) If you want to leave nothing to a specific child, that must be specifically stated in the will. Just not mentioning the child is not enough. Good Luck.


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## hollyhocks (Jun 26, 2016)

Everyone has given you good advice about how the laws vary by state and nation.
In addition to the documents you listed, you will also want to assign the names of the beneficiaries for every bank account and investment account you have. It makes everything much easier after you die, because then the bank, etc., just need a death certificate and contact information for the beneficiaries and they take care of distributing the funds.
BUT BE CAREFUL to name all of the beneficiaries for each account. For example, I am one of 5 surviving children, so my mother had to list all 5 of us as beneficiaries on each bank account, because she wanted her money distributed equally. Many years before she died, she started setting up certificates of deposit (CDs) for her grandchildren. As she aged and I started living with her to take care of her, I started reviewing all of the CDs and discovered that she had listed individual grandchildren as beneficiaries on CDs, but because she didn’t keep track, she listed some grandchildren multiple times and some not at all. When I asked her if she wanted all of the grandchildren to benefit equally, she said that was her intent, so we had to change every CD to list all 10 grandchildren as beneficiaries. The bank was very good about helping with this. 
Do NOT make any assumptions, such as, “If I leave the money to one child they will share it with the others.” That is one of the worst mistakes people make and it divides families because the one who got the money generally refuses to share it.


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## Christiane (Mar 31, 2011)

Forget living will. Leaves loopholes big enough to drive a hearse through..... yours. Go with Advance Medical Directive and these vary by state and you should be able to download and print your state. I went through all that several years ago and went with AMD on advice of lawyer, she took care of POA, AMD, and wills for both of us. Sure was glad we got that done before DH's dementia got so bad it would have been hard to accomplish; it make things easier for me down the road. Lawyers fees vary but I recommend an elder care lawyer who routinely prepares such legal papers. I did and she had all the answers pertinent to our personal cirumstances!


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## tobo11 (Apr 1, 2017)

Inayah said:


> Hello everyone, hope you all are well, weather getting better.
> 
> I read some KP friends here discussed about having a will.
> 
> ...


I think a trust is a good way to go because you do not have to go through probate. Have your attorney explain the different types. I changed mine after my daughter died. It depends on your situation. I have a living will that states what I want when so ill I can't make decisions or when end of life decisions are needed. Actually I have two people designated for this. Let the people you choose know before you go to the lawyer that you have chosen them for this and give them the opportunity to opt out. If they die before you then you'll need to select someone else. In close to thirty years I have had to make changes twice. When my husband died I went on as before with banking, investments, etc. No paper work to do. Good luck.


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## tobo11 (Apr 1, 2017)

Mitzi said:


> If you are planning on leaving an inheritance to your children, you may need to change the will when tax laws change. New laws just came about limiting inheritance and putting new rules on inheritance. A friend recently started to refinance their home and take out $300,000 to have on hand in case it was needed if one passed and the other wanted to stay in the house for a while before making changes. This was recommended to do asap by her lawyer. It hasn't been completed yet and her husband was getting dementia so she wanted to get things signed while he still could sign. Well, he got pnemonia, almost passed, is now home from the hospital with round the clock care (costing a fortune) and will very likely pass soon. He did not want to go into a care facility and was very disoriented being in the hospital. He is much happier at home and would much rather die at home. It is an act of love that she brought him home and they honestly didn't expect him to last more then a few days or weeks. Not sure what will happen but not good. Downside is she hadn't managed to get money out for such emergencies and may not be able to now.


If they had a trust she could go on as before his illness. I had no problem with our accounts when my husband died. We did this whe we were in our early forties. It's best to get it done in case... My husband was 55 when he died and some have lost spouses at even an earlier age.


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## Judy M (Feb 17, 2011)

Inayah said:


> Hello everyone, hope you all are well, weather getting better.
> 
> I read some KP friends here discussed about having a will.
> 
> ...


 Remember these are only my suggestions after a recent discussion with my lawyer.


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## seamer45 (Jan 18, 2011)

We have only had 4 different wills. We started at 30 and over the years as kids grew up, we had an inheritance, and a few other small things that we wanted address. Our last will is very simple, no trusts, or anything fancy. Very straight forward. But, the thing is, a lawyer needs to help you with all the different things you can do with your estate. None of it is cut and dried. 
We also had all our paperwork caught up with him. HIPAA, end of life instructions, powers of a attorney for financial medical and I believe there’s one other. Anyway we had reams of paperwork to fill out before we even went to see him. If we’d had a lot of money or property other than our home we own to deal with he would have helped us decide on that.
No way to tell how much it will cost, it depends on what you need. Ours was about $700 for both wills and both sets of directives. Just make sure you get someone good, if need be get a recommendation from the agency that licenses attorneys in your state.


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## Jalsh (Aug 6, 2012)

I have to save this for future reference. Thank you.


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## eppe (Feb 14, 2014)

do some research, generate your questions, search for answers, do a thorough search for all of these. It will take time so be prepared. It will cost you nothing so don't complain. Search for your state laws too. Get informed. Contact attorney as last resort. Alternatives, contact your local SHIP representative and ask for advice or contacts


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## MarilynKnits (Aug 30, 2011)

The attorney we employed specializes as an eldercare attorney. He was very thorough and clearly explained everything to us before asking us to sign any documents. He gave us a free half hour consult up front so we could understand the services he offered and some of the details we would deal with.


seamer45 said:


> We have only had 4 different wills. We started at 30 and over the years as kids grew up, we had an inheritance, and a few other small things that we wanted address. Our last will is very simple, no trusts, or anything fancy. Very straight forward. But, the thing is, a lawyer needs to help you with all the different things you can do with your estate. None of it is cut and dried.
> We also had all our paperwork caught up with him. HIPAA, end of life instructions, powers of a attorney for financial medical and I believe there's one other. Anyway we had reams of paperwork to fill out before we even went to see him. If we'd had a lot of money or property other than our home we own to deal with he would have helped us decide on that.
> No way to tell how much it will cost, it depends on what you need. Ours was about $700 for both wills and both sets of directives. Just make sure you get someone good, if need be get a recommendation from the agency that licenses attorneys in your state.


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