Today is a good day to start thinking about your estate planning. Who should have a will or trust in place? Do I need this now or can I put it off? Do I need some kind of health care document? What about powers of attorney? There are lots of questions to consider.
- No Estate Planning. If you have never done any estate planning, you should consider at least creating a will and putting in place a health care power of attorney and a regular power of attorney. A will allows you to name a relative or friend you trust to handle your affairs after your death. It also gives you the opportunity to direct how your estate will pass at your death; you can omit disfavored relatives, or include relatives or friends who would not otherwise inherit from you if you died without a will. You can also direct that beneficiaries receive a different share than what the law would otherwise provide, or that certain persons receive particular assets.
If your assets are more significant (neighborhood of $200,000 or more), you should also consider creating a trust in which to hold your property. This can minimize taxes, and if properly funded, will avoid the expense of a court supervised probate proceeding—which is generally required when only a will is in place.
You should have a health care power of attorney in place to nominate the person(s) you want to make decisions for you if you become unable to do so, and to express your wishes as to what kind of medical treatment you want and whether or not you desire food and water even after medical treatment has ceased. A power of attorney for financial matters is also helpful and can avoid the necessity of a guardianship should you become incapacitated.
- Minor Children. If you have minor children, you should definitely have a will in place. Even if your assets are not significant, a will can (and should) contain a clause that appoints a guardian for your children should you die. This allows you to plan for your children so that there will be a smooth transition at your death. Under Nevada law, the only place to nominate a guardian for minor children is a will. You should, of course, ask the persons you wish to nominate in advance to make sure they are willing.
- Outdated Estate Planning. If your estate planning was done a long time ago, you should review it to see whether there are any changes you would like to make to those you have designated to take care of trust or estate business after your death, and to those who will receive your property. Also, tax, real estate and other laws affecting trusts and estates change over time, sometimes quite dramatically. Even if you have no changes to the substantive provisions of your estate planning documents, you should have a lawyer review your documents every couple of years or so to recommend any updates.
- Major Life Change. If you have recently been through a major life event such as marriage or divorce, or if there has been a death or a birth in your immediate family, you should get your estate planning in place or have it updated. A new spouse should either be included in your estate planning as receiving something, or should be mentioned in a way that makes it clear the spouse is not intended to be included. In Nevada, there are statutory provisions that revoke a will or beneficiary designation made in favor of a spouse upon divorce from that spouse; but it is best to re-do your estate planning after divorce rather than to rely upon the statutory revocation. Similarly, the law makes certain provisions for what happens to gifts when the intended beneficiary has died before the person making the will, and for additional family members who are later born; but the law may or may not express your preference.
In sum, seize the day! You do not know how long you will live or when you will die. You will buy yourself peace of mind and you will save your relatives and loved ones a lot of trouble by doing proper estate planning now. To begin the process, contact a qualified estate planning attorney today.
Nevada Estate Planning and Probate 