A Will and a Living Will are not the Same Thing (Video)
A Will and Living Will are not the same thing!
Last Will and Testament – Property
Your Will, or Last Will and Testament, expresses your wishes as to
- The disposition and distribution of your final estate (i.e. who gets what and how much)
- Who should raise your minor children
- Who should be in charge of the Probate process
- What happens to your property
- How your debts are paid
Living Will – Health Directive
A Living Will, also called an Advance Directive, expresses your healthcare wishes as to your final hours. The operative language is terminally ill or permanently unconscious with no hope of recovery. In a Living Will, you make the choices about what treatments you would want or not want if there is no hope of recovery. In other words, do you want the plug pulled or not.
A Living Will is a very important document to have as often different family members will have different opinions as to what you would want. With this document in place, the doctors know what you want and don’t have to listen to conflicting stories from family.
A Will and Living Will Are Not the Same Thing
Both a Living Will and Last Will and Testament are very important pieces of an overall complete estate plan.