Do you need to have a will?

A will is an important estate planning tool along with your living will, health care surrogate and financial power of attorney.

Attorney Tom Olsen: Good news is we already have a text question. I love it.

Attorney Chris Merrill: What was that?

Attorney Tom Olsen: Here's a texter, we don't know whether it's a man or a woman, but 'they' is the pronoun that we use these days. They say their dad only has bank accounts and a house. Does he need a will? Well, the answer is yes. Remember that when we do a will for people, we do a package of four documents, and they're all important. We do the will itself, we do a living will declaration, we do a healthcare surrogate, and we do a financial power of attorney. A will is only one of the four documents that we do for people. All of them play a part in their estate planning. Let's go beyond that, because simply having a will, we go farther than that, Chrissy, and that is we are about helping people to avoid probate. So, does this gentleman need a will? The answer is yes, but more importantly, he needs to take steps to avoid probate.

Attorney Chris Merrill: Exactly. It is important to have the proper legal documents done to avoid probate. Of course, that is a very common question, Tom. People will say, "I have a couple of bank accounts and a house, so I don't really need to do anything because my house will just automatically pass to my children or loved ones." The answer is it is not automatic.

Attorney Tom Olsen: For the texter, yes, your dad needs a will. He needs a living will, he needs a healthcare surrogate, he needs a financial power of attorney, and he needs to take the steps necessary to avoid probate. When we say avoid probate, we really mean avoid attorney fees, make things simple, easy, inexpensive when dad passes away. At the Olsen Law Group here in Orlando, we're all about helping people to do that. Give us a call. Remember we do offer free initial consultation. We can do the initial consult on the phone or in person. Your choice. We would love to help you.