Many people view their savings and valuable property, such as a car or a house, as a representation of their hard work over the years. It may be important to you to protect your financial legacy and control where your money goes after you pass. The most common way of achieving this is by creating a Will.
A Will is a legal tool that lets you establish who will receive your assets aka your heirs and decide which of your possessions and savings they will receive. There are specific criteria to create a valid Will in Georgia, so it is recommended that you consult an experienced attorney to help clarify the process. A Marietta Wills lawyer at Nelson Elder Care Law can explain how to best outline your wishes and ensure that they will be carried out.
In the state of Georgia, a court evaluates the validity of a Will based on how it was created. Most importantly, a document must clearly demonstrate your desire to give property to certain people after your death.
There are four elements that a valid Will must satisfy under Georgia law:
To make sure that your Will follows these legal requirements, it is advised that you work with a knowledgeable attorney at our Marietta office. There are specific distinctions for some of these elements, such as the requirement stating that a creator must be of sound mind.
When creating a Will, a person is considered to be of sound mind if they have the intellectual capacity to understand the implications of the document. This requirement does not prevent elderly, mentally disabled, and eccentric people from creating Wills. If you are creating a Will, you must sign it in the presence of two witnesses who also sign the document, confirming that you are of sound mind.
A skilled Wills attorney can help you get the proper signatures and ensure that your document will be considered legally valid after you pass away. Do not put off writing your Will, as dying without one can have significant consequences for your family.
If a person dies without a will, their property will be distributed based on Georgia’s intestacy laws. This generally means that the closest living relative can claim the deceased person’s savings, home, and any other valuables. For instance, if there is a spouse and no children, the spouse will receive everything. If a deceased person leaves behind a spouse and children, the spouse receives a third of the money and property and the children equally split the remaining two-thirds.
If a person passes away without a Will and there is no surviving spouse of children, their belongings will be distributed to the following family members in order of priority:
Family dynamics can be complicated, and disputes over inheritance may arise if there is no document that definitively outlines your wishes. Our attorneys are skilled at helping Marietta residents avoid these problems by drafting clear and effective Wills.
When you pass away, your property will pass into new hands regardless of whether you have a Will. It is important for you to create a plan to ensure your property and savings are distributed according to your final wishes.
If you want to pass on your savings and belongings to the people or organizations you care about, work with a Marietta Wills lawyer at our firm. The experienced attorneys at Nelson Elder Care can help you draft a document that gives you the final say on the inheritance of your property. Contact us today to set up a free consultation.
