In our home, Valentine’s Day is an important
celebration. Not so much for the sake of
Valentine’s Day itself, but because it is my sweetheart’s birthday. Have you thought about what you will give the
ones you love for Valentine’s? You could
choose the typical flowers, perfume or cologne, a nice meal; but, what if you
chose to get your affairs in order instead?
So often, we go through the busy-ness of life, and put off the really
important tasks, like updating a will or double-checking beneficiaries on
policies or checking how contractual arrangements are titled.
This month, we will be talking about tasks necessary to
protect and provide for the ones you love.
It can be the sweetest thing you can do for the loves of your life. Let’s start with wills. Do you have one? If not, you should know the laws of intestate
succession, which are the rules the state of Montana uses to distribute your
property, if you haven’t created a will.
In the Montguide, Dying Without a Will in Montana: Who Receives Your Property, Marsha Goetting writes, “Although
Montanan’s are quite conscientious about their property while they are alive,
70 percent of these same thoughtful people make no provisions for its
management and distribution after their deaths.” Even though the laws make sense for many
people, they might not make sense for you.
If you’d like to use an interactive tool to see how your property would
be distributed, visit www.montana.edu/dyingwithoutawill.
Just as an example, in my own situation, with a husband and
two children between us, if I die, all goes to my spouse. Nothing would go to my surviving parent, my
mom. Without a will, I would have to
trust (and I do) that my husband would make good decisions regarding our
finances, property and our children. While
our situation is fairly straight forward, there are numerous scenarios that
exist in families. For instance, do you know if step children will be treated
in the same way as biological children, if you die without a will? If you have no children or no spouse, do you
know what will happen to your property without a will? If not, it is time to find out. One thing we know for sure is that we all
have an expiration date. The only
problem is that it isn’t marked on the outside of our cartons. You might as well plan for it now, so your
affairs are in order when it happens. It
is a great thing to do this month for the people you love
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