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Living day-to-day can be a challenge if you are not prepared and organized for the daily grind. Our articles are written to help you live your life to the fullest with organizing ideas that will help free your time and reduce daily stress. Many of our previous articles are available in the organizer's archive section. Click here for more organizing articles or click here for life organizing tips.

Prepare a Will
By Dawn Roth

There's an old English saying that seems to cover the creation of a will: Hope for the best and prepare for the worst.

With so many reasons to get this document in order and dire consequences if you don't, why aren't more of us doing so?

Here are the basics:

Why?
You can be sure the things that are important to you benefit the people whom are dearest to you.

What?
There are lots of avenues to getting specific advice. In general you need to know the following.

1. List of assets and the location of each.
2. Who the beneficiaries will be for each asset.
3. An executor who oversees that your wishes are carried out.
4. A guardian you have chosen (and checked with hopefully) to watch over your children or even any pets.

How?
You need a basic will if you have limited assets and want it all to go to a spouse or child. Look into software programs (like Intuit's) that will take you right through the process. There is an online option at legalzoom.com as well. You can also expect to pay $150 to $400 to a lawyer if you choose.

You will need an estate planner if you have a blended family, unusual bequests or over a million dollars in assets. They can suggest tax-saving moves and advise you about living trusts. A comprehensive will of this type is about $500 or up to $1000 and over with trusts.

If you need something NOW, (for travel) you can write it out yourself in your own writing and it is a holographic will. As soon as you can, make it more permanent.

Where?
Keep a copy at home and a copy in a safe deposit box or your lawyer's office and forget about it!