The week of October 23rd is officially “Write A Will” week. We know…we know – no one likes to think about writing a will, but thinking about and planning for the legacy you will leave behind some day is important. After all, “The goal isn’t to live forever, it’s to create something that will.”
Leaving a charitable gift behind as part of your will is a great way to preserve a long-term legacy without creating a burden on your current finances. To celebrate “Write A Will” week the Community Foundation is partnering with the Planned Giving Council of Northeast Indiana to provide volunteer attorneys that will prepare a simple will for you completely free of charge.
That’s right! All you have to do is leave a gift to a charitable organization as part of your will, and your will preparation will cost you absolutely nothing, zip, zilch, free-of-charge. So what is a simple will? A simple will:
- Allows for the naming of a personal representative for the estate
- Allows for simple, direct distributions of assets to a surviving spouse, charities, and/or other beneficiaries
- Follows all applicable state requirements for witnesses and signatures
- May contain guardian appointments if there are children under age 18
If you’ve been putting off writing a will, now is the time to take the metaphorical bull by the horns, and take charge of your legacy. A volunteer attorney will be at the Community Foundation on Monday, October 23rd from 3-6 pm and Friday, October 27th from 9 am – noon.
You don’t need an appointment, but if you want to avoid a potential wait, you can give us a call to schedule a specific meeting time at 260-426-4083. You’ll want to fill out a Will Preparation Form and bring it with you to your meeting. What else should you bring? We’re glad you asked!
- Your marital status, an if you’re married, the name of your spouse and if you have a pre-nuptial agreement
- Names and birthdates of all of your children, regardless of if you want to name them in the will or not
- Name and address of the charitable organization(s) you wish to name in your will
- Names of other persons who will benefit from you will and their relationship to you
- A general list of your assets and how those assets are titled; for example, is your house or bank account in your name only, or are there other owners? If you have an IRA or retirement account, who are your beneficiaries?
- How you want to distribute your assets. You can leave your beneficiaries a specific dollar amount or a percentage of your estate. You can also make bequests of specific items, such as jewelry or furniture. Your attorney will discuss each of these options.
As part of “Write a Will Week,” we will be hosting a Facebook Live event on Tuesday, October 24 from 11am-11:30am with guest attorney Dom Gosheff from Faegre Baker Daniels. Join in as Dom talks about the BASICS of estate planning and writing a will, from naming a personal representative, to discussing your personal assets, to leaving a gift to charity and everything in between. After the presentation, we will open the floor for a live question and answer session from you!
Writing a will can feel scary, nerve-wracking, and intimidating. But it doesn’t have to be. If you’re one of the 50% of Americans who doesn’t have a will, we can help. Celebrate “Write a Will” week with us October 23rd through October 27th and let our volunteer attorneys help you shape your legacy.