Savvy Ways to Create Key Documents for Your Family
When it comes to creating certain documents to make your life easier or your family’s life easier, you’ll want the document to be binding but you usually won’t want to have to pay an excessive fee. This can seem like a hard balance to get right but, in 2024, there are a few simple or savvy ways that you can get those key documents printed up without spending a fortune on legal fees. So, here’s a quick guide on how to do just that.
Your Will
There are two types of will; the one that you write years in advance and the one that you write suddenly when you’re given a life-changing diagnosis. Luckily, there are many charities out there who can help you to write a legally binding will for free. If you’ve been diagnosed with cancer, you can head to Macmillan.org.uk, where the charity will help you to write your will. If you need to make a will quickly, you can call the charity who will set you up with a will writing partner near you. This saves time, hassle, and cost.
Power of Attorney
If you become unwell, you’ll want someone competent to oversee your affairs. This person is given the power of attorney and, for them to legally have this power, there needs to be a document drawn up which specifies this. Luckily, you can use websites to download this form and sign it, without the hassle of hiring a solicitor or lawyer. For the sake of safety, make sure that you have both a physical copy and a digital copy.
Advanced Healthcare Directive
As the title states, an advanced healthcare directive is a document which sets out your desires in plain language, so that if you’re incapacitated, your family and friends won’t be in any doubt about what you want to happen. Would you want surgery to be performed if required or would you want a “Do Not Resuscitate” order?
Either way, you can access the blueprint for an advanced healthcare directive online; make sure to fill it in digitally to avoid any mistakes. If you’re a long-term patient at a hospital, the staff will be able to point you in the direction of free legal services within the hospital, which will usually involve being able to access this document. So, don’t be afraid to ask.
Revocable Living Trust
This document allows you to place your assets with your beneficiaries, without needing to go through probate, while you’re still alive. It’s revocable as you may want to change your mind about who gets what.
As many of the other documents listed here, you can access a living trust online and, as before, make sure you fill it out digitally to avoid any error. Print a copy and keep a digital one too. If you want to revoke the trust, you’ll need to keep the original copy and the new one in the same place, ensuring that the dates of both documents are clear to see.
Author Bio:
Lizzie Reynell-O’Brien graduated with an MSc in Clinical Psychology from Goldsmiths University and started her small writing company Just Write in 2018, writing solely about mental health diagnostics in the NHS. She is passionate about writing as an art form, and when she’s not typing, you will find her walking her 2 rescue Jack Russell’s or in her garden planting wildflowers.
