4 Legal Documents You Should Have–Get Them Free!

Posted by Laura Adams on Jun 2, 2012 in Blog, Legal | 0 comments

Part of being responsible to your family and friends is having the right legal documents in place to protect them if something happens to you.

Most people procrastinate doing this because they think it’ll be expensive or time consuming–and, of course, preparing for tragedy isn’t cheery.

But now, you have no excuse–because I’m going to tell you how to get these documents for free or at a very low cost (see more details at the end of the post).

Remember that even if you’re married, you still need emergency documents because you and your spouse could die at the same time. Or you could be in an accident together where one of you dies and the other is left incapacitated.

Here are 4 legal documents everyone should have:

 

Legal Document #1: Last Will and Testament

A Will tells everyone how you want your assets distributed and explains your last wishes, like whether you want to be buried or cremated.

There’s a common misconception that Wills are only for old, rich people. Almost half of Americans with children don’t have one.

There’s an easy way to make a will that takes you through a series of questions so you don’t miss anything important–and it’s free:

Click here to create a Last Will for free

Every adult should have a Will—no matter your age! Here’s why:

• To keep the State out of your affairs. If you die without a Will, the government creates one for you and decides what happens (not your family)—according to generic laws of your state.
• To appoint a guardian for your children or pets. Dying without a Will is especially dangerous if you’re a parent because the government will decide who gets your children. Declaring a guardian in your Will ensures that someone you trust will care for them.
• To make life easier during a tough time. Your death will be an emotional burden for those you love and having a Will makes it easier on everyone.
• To keep peace in your family. Having a Will prevents those you love from having to deal with a lot of bureaucracy or potentially getting into disagreements.
• To state your last wishes. No matter if you’ve always wanted to give an antique chair to your cousin or to be buried in a certain place, if it’s not spelled out in your Will it probably won’t happen.
• To save your heirs money. A Will protects your family from unnecessary expenses and estate taxes, in addition to distributing your assets and declaring your last wishes.

Free Resource: Click here to create a complete Last Will for free

 

Legal Document #2: Power of Attorney

A Power of Attorney gives someone you trust, called an agent, the ability to make decisions and transactions for you while you’re alive, if you become incapacitated or are just unavailable.

There are different kinds, but a Durable Power of Attorney is the most common type. It can be used if you’re not capable of making financial decisions or doing things like paying your bills, signing contracts, making insurance claims, and filing taxes.

In general, married couples should give each other Durable Power of Attorney to avoid having financial restrictions during a crisis.

Free Resource: Click here to create a Power of Attorney for free

 

Legal Document #3: Living Will

A Living Will tells everyone what end-of-life care you want. It’s similar to a Health Care Power of Attorney (see below), but only applies when you’re facing death—so you need to have both. Or you can combine features of both in an Advance Directive document.

For instance, if you were in a vegetative state or in the final stages of a terminal condition, a Living Will indicates whether you’d want to extend your life artificially by various means or to die naturally.

Free Resource: Click here to create a Living Will for free

 

Legal Document #4: Health Care Power of Attorney

A Health Care Power of Attorney allows you to designate someone to make medical decisions for you when you can’t.

For instance, your designated agent could to admit you into a health care facility or apply for public benefits on your behalf.

Free Resource: Click here to create a Health Care Power of Attorney for free
(part of the Living Will interview)

 

Create Your Emergency Documents Now

I recommend using Rocket Lawyer because they take you through a series of detailed questions to prepare your documents.

You can try out their services and create unlimited documents with a 7-day free trial. You  have to enter a debit or credit card to create your account, but can easily cancel it before the trial expires  and avoid any charges.

However, if you sign up for a Basic Legal Plan beyond the trial period, the monthly charge is only $19.95. If you just need one month of service, you can downgrade to a free membership at any time and keep all your completed documents with no further obligation–that’s a pretty great deal.

So do yourself and your family a favor by getting all your emergency documents created as soon as possible. After a tragedy occurs it may be too late to make important decisions.

If you have a complex situation, be sure to work with an estate attorney.