Top 10 Reasons Why Everybody Over 18 Should Have a Will

Published on: 18 January 2019 Last Updated on: 14 October 2024
Over 18 Should Have a Will

Time does not stop for anyone, and life can often bring about unexpected circumstances that no one can ever be fully ready for. No one wants to think about the end of the line, but a little extra work now can help you care for your family even after you’re gone. It can be easy to assume that someone as young as 18 does not need a will. The spontaneity of life can prove this invalid, and also young people have many things that are worth money and could be lost in the shuffle.

Every person over the age of 18 should go about the process of getting a will just in case. When the time comes you will want everything to be in order to take the stress off of those already grieving. Look through this list of reasons and see if any apply to you or a young person you know, one is sure to.

1. Young People Have Valuable Possessions

Just because a person is barely considered an adult does not mean that they do not have any valuable possessions. 

You wouldn’t want someone laying claim to something of yours just to sell it. Therefore, it should go to the right person. 

The amount of money people spend on teenagers or children over the years is increasing. 

Especially with the growing number of toys and technology that are accessible. Some young adults manage to accumulate a great amount of worth in video games, movies, or even dividends on the internet. 

2. Children

When a young person passes away, children become orphans. Even if they do not have children now, one needs to predetermine a guardian. 

This can happen if one creates a will with a correct and legal approach. Choose someone who you know will take the best care of your children. Someone who would be happy to, not someone who would just be stuck with them. 

There may also be something you would want to leave to them in particular. Something that is special between the two of you, or even an heirloom that was given to you. 

3. Leave Less Stress

A loved one experiencing a loss may not be able to think clearly enough to deal with all of your affairs. It is never easy to go through a loved one’s things. Others may not know your exact feelings on certain things or people and something important to you could be left out.

When someone passes without requests it is common for rifts to form within a family over what should be done. With your direction in hand, there is no argument to be had.

Creating a will in many ways transfers the responsibility to a legal entity. This can be helpful for the family member, as they will not be required to go over every detail of the same. You do not know what is going to happen the next moment. If you wish to more on summary probate, please click on the link.

4. People Receive Exactly What You Decided

There are certain things that some may argue over who they belong to, even those who take things because they are unrightfully in possession of them. 

When writing a will, if the worst occurs, all of the important valuables in your life should go to a specific person. It has to be someone you absolutely trust because then that person can divide it among others. 

Sentimental items can be of huge importance to some. So, it is vital to designate the right things to those you feel would honor them properly. 

5. Digital Assets

Technology is an integral part of life, especially those of young adults. The option of having digital assets is less thought of when developing a will, but it is now becoming necessary,

This includes video games or online money wallets. Without your will these things can be lost forever, locked behind a password only you knew.

6. Separate Beliefs Than Parents

If you want a specific arrangement dealing with your funeral or burial, it can be vital to state it; otherwise, those responsible may not know. 

For instance, if donating your body to science is what you prefer, it is not likely to happen unless you specifically state it. Religious beliefs can also come into play for certain burial procedures, such as cremation or donating organs. 

7. Sentimental Value

Leaving possessions to the proper people can be helpful for sentimental belongings that would be monumental.  

Sometimes a dear gift to a close friend can mean a lot and help them bear the situation as well. 

Much of dealing with loss is carrying pieces of the person with you. This can actually be done. You would want sentimental items like photographs and such to be thrown away. 

It may look like trash to whoever is cleaning the space, but it might be special to someone dealing with the loss of you. 

8. Protect Inheritances

If you have been left an inheritance, even if you are as young as 18 if you unexpectedly perish there is no clear answer of who will receive the inheritance if you are unmarried. The same goes for deciding the beneficiary of life insurance. It may fall to someone who has never even been involved in their life like an absent father, or estranged family when it should go to a child or other significant person.

9. You Can Always Change Your Mind

Wills are official documents that can be altered at any point in a person’s life. With authorized assistance, you can always update it for others who may come into or leave your life. 

Updating will be important when it comes to new assets as well. You can do it easily with professional assistance. Plus, company like Verhaeghe Law Office can provide all the elaborate explanations of a will and its uses. 

10. Always Be Prepared

Long life is promised to no one. Writing a will can be challenging and bringing yourself to do it can be depressing.  

However, preparing your estate is an important responsibility that can help those close to you through the mourning process. 

Everyone Needs A Will

There are many methods of writing a will, and only knowing them will make you successfully convey your final wants. 

You can include letters with important aspects of your will. This will explain what makes the inheritance and the person special to you. 

Research examples of wills so you can find the correct format. It may also help you consider the exact types of possessions you need for the layout. Consider all these things and be satisfied knowing, no matter your age, that a will is necessary. 

Read Also:

 

Content Rally wrapped around an online publication where you can publish your own intellectuals. It is a publishing platform designed to make great stories by content creators. This is your era, your place to be online. So come forward share your views, thoughts and ideas via Content Rally.

View all posts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related

Criminal Appeals Law

The Basics of Criminal Appeals Law

In this article, we want to quickly look at the subject of criminal appeal and the laws that govern it. We are not approaching it like a law school course addressed at lawyers but as a general informative content meant for those who may not be so knowledgeable in legal matters. Hopefully, the information we will share here however basic will help you get a better understanding of this process of criminal appeal and how you can take advantage of it should you be in a position where such an action becomes necessary. The Basics of Criminal Appeals Law: An Overview: A criminal appeal is a process where an individual who has been tried by a court of competent jurisdiction and convicted for a crime decides to seek the intervention of a higher court. The purpose of this intervention could be to seek an overturn of the conviction reached by the lower court based on a few points that we will look at later. It could also be to seek a reduction in the sentencing delivered upon conviction. In either case, the defendant is turning to a higher court so that s/he can get a more favorable outcome in the form of an acquittal or a sentence reduction. When an appeal is filed, the higher court will go through the process that the lower court went through to reach its verdict. This means that there shall be no testimonies or submissions of fresh evidence. The decision of the higher court will be based solely on the recordings of the concluded court proceedings. It is from this recorded process that the appealing counsel will point out the grounds of their appeal and it is also from these recorded proceedings that the higher court will reach its decision. It is important to understand that it is common to find the higher courts in the U.S naturally favoring the decisions of the lower court. It will take some very clear infractions or errors to cause a higher court to overturn the judgment of the lower court. Grounds on Which an Appeal Can be Made: We mentioned above that an appeal has to be based on certain grounds. We will now look at a few of these grounds upon which a criminal appeal can be filed. An appeal can be file if any of the following happened during the trial at the lower court: There is a clear error in the interpretation of the law. The verdict given is not backed up by clear evidence. The ruling of the lower court bothered on abuse of its discretion. The defendant claims that his/her representation was inadequate. Any of the points above are grounds upon which an appeal can be filed. You should, however, understand that the appellate court must find evidence in the proceedings of the trial as shown by your attorney in your appeal filing that supports your claim. If the higher court does not find enough evidence supporting your claim, it will be thrown out. What You Should Do: If you have just gone through a criminal trial and you were not happy with the outcome because you felt the process was somehow flawed, you could ask your lawyer what your chances will be if you were to take it to a higher court. We understand that it is likely that your attorney is the reason why the outcome of the trial was the way it is. If this is the case, then having such an attorney handle your appeal will not be a very smart move. You’ve already made the mistake of choosing an attorney who could not properly represent your interest in court, do not make the mistake of having the same attorney contest this outcome in a higher court for you. You can find a lawyer here with the experience to look through the records of your case and give you a candid opinion. There’s no point in spending time and money contesting a case that is certainly not going to go your way no matter where you take it. What you need is a correct assessment of your chances. If it is seen that there are indeed solid grounds on which an appeal can be filed, you should engage the services of Criminal Appeals Toronto attorney with the required expertise, who knows exactly how to prepare your case to give you the best chance of getting a better verdict. Bonus knowledge: Check out our blog regarding Criminal Law Enforcement Read Also: Keys To Become A Successful Lawyer 3 Reasons Why You Might Need A Family Lawyer Three Practical Tips And Techniques For New Trial Lawyers

READ MOREDetails
ridesharing accident

Steps to Take After Being Involved in a Ridesharing Accident

Ridesharing is revolutionizing the way people get from point A to point B. Whether it's just to have a safe ride home after a night of drinking or a great alternative to purchasing your own vehicle, ridesharing is gaining in popularity. With more people getting rides than ever before, more car accidents are involving ridesharing vehicles. Understanding what to do if you're involved in a ridesharing accident can help to ensure that you get the compensation you deserve for the injuries that you sustained. Check For Injuries And Call The Police The first steps that you want to take after being involved in any sort of car accident are to check for injuries and call the police. You should start by checking yourself and other passengers. Then, check the other parties involved to see if they have any injuries. If anyone has severe injuries, you should be contacting emergency medical assistance immediately. If you have slight injuries, it's still a good idea to get them checked out by a medical professional at the accident scene. This way, your injuries are documented right from the start. Once everyone is checked for injuries, it's time to call the police. The officer will be responsible for creating an accident report. While you may not think that a report matters since it's not your vehicle that was involved, think again. Any ridesharing accident lawyer will tell you that having access to the accident report is a vital part of your claims case. Even if the drivers involved don't want to contact the police, you should do so yourself to ensure your future safety is looked after. Take Pictures And Collect Information West Coast Trial Lawyers will advise you to take pictures to document the scene. While you may have no stake in the property that was damaged, you should still have photo evidence of it. This can come back into play later when determining who was at fault for the injury. This way, your Uber accident attorney knows who to go after to seek compensation for the injuries that you sustained. Talk with witnesses and gather their contact information. Witnesses tend to leave the scene of the accident once an officer arrives. Therefore, speaking with them before the police arrive can ensure that you get the information you need before they leave. The more witnesses you have, the better chance your ridesharing accident lawyer will have at proving your case for injury compensation. You'll also want to get the information about the people involved in the accident. Start by collecting the contact and insurance information of your ridesharing driver. Then, get the same information from the other parties involved. If the other driver had passengers with them, then get their information to. Be sure to write down or take pictures of the license plates of the vehicles that were involved. Understand What Insurance Pays For Your Injuries One of the most confusing parts of being involved in a ridesharing accident is understanding what the insurance company pays for the damages and injuries that were a result of the accident. Does Uber's insurance cover the problems or does the Uber driver's personal insurance cover your injuries? Let's take a look at the different scenarios below. Hit By A Ridesharing Driver If you're in a vehicle accident that is determined to be the fault of the other driver who was in a ridesharing vehicle, the other driver's insurance is responsible for paying for your injuries. Keep in mind that each driver's insurance policy will have coverage limitations. If your compensation amount is above the coverage limit for the ridesharing driver's personal insurance, the ridesharing company's insurance will cover the excess if the driver was working at the time of the accident. Your Ridesharing Driver Is At Fault For Your Injuries When the ridesharing driver that you're riding with is determined to be at fault for your injuries, their personal insurance will cover your compensation. In the event that your compensation amount is over what the driver's personal insurance will cover, the ridesharing company will cover the excess if the driver was working at the time of the accident. What Is Considered Working By Rideshare Companies? West Coast Trial Lawyers will inform you that the ridesharing company will only pay if the driver was determined to be working. If the driver was not determined to be working at the time of the accident, the ridesharing company's insurance will not cover the excess of the compensation you get. Rather, you'll have to go after the driver of the vehicle personally for anything their insurance won't cover. Ridesharing companies like Uber and Lift have their own technology that allows them to communicate with their drivers. Drivers are required to update their status on their mobile device to tell the company what they're doing. As long as the ridesharing driver was logged into their application, the ridesharing company's insurance policy will kick in. However, there are some restrictions to their coverage limits. If the driver is logged into their application but has a status of waiting for a ride request, the ridesharing company's insurance has limited coverage. For Uber specifically, the limited liability coverage is 25,000 dollars for property damage and 50,000 dollars per injury up to a 100,000 dollar limit. In most events, a combination of the driver's personal insurance and the ridesharing company's insurance will take care of the compensation for your injuries. However, if they don't, your Uber accident attorney will take up suit against the ridesharing driver personally for the excess. In cases where the ridesharing driver has a status of being in route to pick up their passenger, then the ridesharing company's full insurance policy kicks in. Both Uber and Lift have a 1,000,000 dollar personal injury insurance policy. Remember that this policy kicks in after the driver's personal policy reach its coverage limits. Why Contacting A Lawyer Is So Important As you've found out above, there are many things to consider when you're involved in a ridesharing accident. Navigating the legal waters and determining what insurance policy or policies will be paying for your injury compensation can be difficult. Employing a ridesharing lawyer to help you along the way will ensure that you get the compensation that you need for your injuries. Your lawyer will be able to collect the necessary evidence from the ridesharing application to determine what insurance is covering the accident. They'll be able to take up suit against those companies and assist you in determining a proper amount of compensation for the injuries that you sustained from the accident. Most importantly, a lawyer will be able to do all the heavy lifting with your claims case so that you can physically and mentally worry about getting better. You don't want to be dealing with lawyers, insurance companies, and educating yourself on laws when you're injured. Being involved in a ridesharing accident may not be something that you've thought about before. However, since ridesharing is becoming more popular, you should be prepared with what you should do in the event that you find yourself involved in one. The above steps will help you to figure out how to proceed after an accident occurs. Read Also: Expert Advice: 5 Crucial Things To Do Immediately After An Automobile Accident 5 Types Of Damages You Can Claim After A Car Accident What To Do When You’re Involved In A Car Accident In Albany

READ MOREDetails
misdemeanors

Most Common Misdemeanors You Could Be Accused Of

If you’ve been charged with a misdemeanor crime, you need to be proactive in your criminal defense. Your arrest is only the beginning of the criminal justice process. You should contact a criminal defense lawyer who has experience with your type of case. There are several things you need to know when facing misdemeanor charges. Here are Most Common Misdemeanors You Could Be Accused Of: 1. Consequences of a Misdemeanor Conviction: Misdemeanor charges range from improper smoking to attempting to escape from jail. Misdemeanor convictions are fairly common in Michigan. The state courts see thousands of cases going through courts annually. There are three types of misdemeanors to look out for: 93-day misdemeanors 1-year misdemeanors High court misdemeanors These time periods refer to the maximum jail sentence that you can serve. High court misdemeanors are more serious crimes and are punishable by a prison term of up to two years. While less serious than felony charges, all misdemeanors are considered crimes, and a conviction can result in jail, fines, and a criminal record. Michigan legal help like the Law Office of Rathi & Associates for legal needs when facing Michigan misdemeanor court. If you are facing misdemeanor charges then a misdemeanor lawyer will help you avoid the worst of any incoming punishments. 2. Misdemeanor Property Crimes: Property crimes are offenses that involve the appropriation or destruction of physical items, but can also involve thefts of services or intellectual properties. Like most jurisdictions, state law determines whether a property crime will be classified as a misdemeanor or felony based on the dollar amount and extenuating circumstances around the crime. Some of the more common misdemeanor property crimes include: Petty (or petit) theft under $200 Petty theft under $1,000 Vandalism with under $200 in damage Vandalism with under $1,000 in damage Public urination Trespassing 3. Misdemeanor Crimes Against Persons: Crimes against persons can involve touching or striking a person against their will, creating disturbances and other offenses that affect individuals and groups of individuals. As is the case with property crimes, a crime against a person can be either a misdemeanor or a felony depending on the circumstances surrounding the crime and the severity of the offense. Some of the more common misdemeanor crimes against persons include the following: Assault and battery Domestic assault Misdemeanor stalking Disorderly conduct Resisting arrest Prostitution These are the common crimes committed against a person. If you’ve been charged with any of these crimes, you may have to face punishment, including imprisonment, fines, probation, and loss of civil rights. In some cases, you may also be required to pay restitution to the victim. However, the specific consequences may vary depending on the severity of the charges, the state in which the crime was committed, and the accused’s prior criminal record. For example, if you’ve been accused of domestic violence charges, regardless of your location, it’s important to work with an attorney who can guide you in protecting your rights and interests. 4. Misdemeanors Traffic Crimes and DUI: Driving Under the Influence is usually a misdemeanor unless there are extenuating circumstances like multiple DUI prior offenses, drug possession, or an accident involving injuries. There are also some non-alcohol-related traffic violations that are classified as misdemeanors. Some of the more common misdemeanor traffic crimes include: 1st or 2nd DUI Open container Fleeing and eluding Leaving the scene of an accident Reckless driving Driving on a suspended or revoked license Drag racing Indeed, there are several traffic crimes that you could be accused of, depending on your personal circumstances. Like other misdemeanors, a conviction for traffic crimes, including a DUI offense, can carry many consequences. Moreover, it’s important to note that the consequences of traffic crimes can be serious, so it's best to drive safely and obey the law. If you’re convicted of a traffic crime, consulting with an attorney to discuss your options would be beneficial. They can evaluate the facts of your case and develop the right defense strategy. 5. Misdemeanor Drug Crimes: With the exception of marijuana possession, many drug crimes in most states are felonies. Possession of marijuana in any amount is a misdemeanor, but other activities related to the drug, such as selling it to others, can constitute a felony. In certain states, a person can legally carry up to 2.5 ounces of medical marijuana with a valid prescription. Conclusion Being accused of a misdemeanor can be frustrating and stressful. Therefore, to mitigate the impact of a potential misdemeanor charge on your life, keep the above information in mind and seek legal counsel if necessary. Read Also: Protect Your Rights Today With Domestic Violence Lawyers 6 Reasons to Contact a Lawyer before an Arrest in Knoxville

READ MOREDetails