Potential clients sometimes call our estate planning and elder law firm to make an appointment to see an attorney stating that they “just need a Will.” Ironically, a Will is often the least needed estate planning document. For many people, their estate will pass to their intended beneficiaries without a Will exactly as it would if they had a Will. That’s because the Massachusetts intestate law that determines the people to whom an estate will be distributed in the absence of a Will, is in keeping with the distribution and inheritance planning wishes of many people.
Massachusetts law regarding wills and inheritance provides that if a member of a married couple dies without a Will and all of the couple’s children are children of the marriage, then the estate of the deceased spouse will pass entirely to the surviving spouse. If the surviving spouse later dies without a Will without having remarried, her estate will pass to their children in equal shares. Further, many married couples own all of their assets jointly (their home, bank accounts, investment accounts) or have beneficiaries designated to receive their assets (IRAs, 401Ks, life insurance, etc.). In that case, no assets pass under the terms of the Will and instead pass by operation of law (joint ownership) or via the ‘contract’ made with the financial company or life insurance company when that beneficiary designation form was completed.
Of course, for people who do not have a situation that fits neatly under the intestate statute, a Will, and often a Trust, is vital. This includes blended families, people who have beneficiaries with disabilities or special needs or beneficiaries who struggle with addiction or beneficiaries who are spendthrifts. It also includes those with minor children and those who want to reduce estate tax or provide creditor protection for the inheritance they leave their beneficiaries.
Frankly, the essential estate plan documents that everyone over the age of 18 should have in place include a durable Power of Attorney and a Health Care Proxy. These documents appoint someone to pay bills, manage assets, deal with the insurance company and make medical decisions if the person making those documents has an accident or gets sick and cannot do those things for himself. The law does not make it easy for someone to do these things in the absence of Power of Attorney or Health Care Proxy. In the case of incapacity without those documents in place, the law requires a court proceeding to appoint a conservator to manage an incapacitated person’s finances and another court proceeding to appoint a guardian to make medical decisions. These are expensive, time-consuming, and public proceedings and best avoided.
Give us a call us at 781-461-1020 and let us help you create the right estate plan (even if you just need a Will) for your family.
Attorney Suzanne R. Sayward is a partner with the Dedham firm of Samuel, Sayward & Baler LLC which focuses on advising its clients in the areas of estate planning, estate settlement and elder law matters. She is certified as an Elder Law Attorney by the National Elder Law Foundation, a private organization whose standards for certification are not regulated by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. This article is not intended to provide legal advice or create or imply an attorney-client relationship. No information contained herein is a substitute for a personal consultation with an attorney. For more information visit www.ssbllc.com or call 781/461-1020.
December, 2019
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