Resources

Odds and Ends

Have You Signed Your Will?

by Rania Combs

Humans are optimistic. We don’t dwell on the fact that death is inevitable, and that bleeds into our personal outlook for the future.

It’s why we plan for vacations, drive in cars, fly in planes, and end visits with friends saying “see you later.” We have confidence that later is going to come.

Life would be depressing otherwise.

But that confidence can sometimes prevent us from preparing for the inevitable, which can sometimes lead to disastrous results.

Events in the past several of months have highlighted the risks of procrastinating.

I worked with one married couple in their sixties who were both healthy. We discussed their wishes during a planning conference; however, after I started preparing their Wills the following week, I had some lingering questions and called to get clarification of their wishes. That’s when I received the sad news that one of the spouses had died unexpectedly the weekend before.

A few months ago, I prepared wills and powers of attorney for another couple. All documents were in order and ready to be signed; however, the couple procrastinated on scheduling their signing ceremony. Before the documents were signed, one of them suffered a devastating stroke and was left incapacitated for two months before the client’s eventual death. The client had estranged children from a prior relationship that were disinherited in the new Will. Now those estranged children are potential heirs according to the Texas intestacy statutes.

If you don’t have a Will, take the steps to get one in place. If you haven’t signed your Will, sign it as soon as possible.

Chances are we’ll all live long, happy lives; however, tragedy and illness can happen to any of us at any time, so it is important that we be prepared.

About Rania

Rania graduated magna cum laude from South Texas College of Law Houston and is the founder of Rania Combs Law, PLLC. She has been licensed to practice law since 1994 and enjoys helping clients in Texas and North Carolina create estate plans that give them peace of mind.

Learn more about how we can help you.

Get Started

Your email address will not be published.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

Comments