What can I do ? I any afford a lawyer to make up a will. ,mom owns no property , I live I. The house we shared for 15 years she has no stocks and bonds . I rent our house and I bought everything in the house , she has 2 life insurance policy's equal to$ 10,000 enough to be cremated , I pay for them both from my checking account . I am a nurse and work full time . Can a written letter in her handwriting suffice a will ? What is a living trust ? I had her write out her wishes in her handwriting .. Any suggestions I'd be grateful . Thank you
It doesn't sound as if your mother has any assets at all, so a holographic will might suffice. Just make sure it meets the conditions specified.
Also, you make no mention of any siblings or husband, so I assume there are none in the picture.
DebraLee makes a good suggestion. Many Senior Centers have arranged for pro bono legal advice;
From what you've written, I don't think a trust is necessary - there just aren't any assets to protect that can't be addressed by joint holdings, Geewiz suggested. And trusts are complicated, very, very complicated and are not DIY projects.
Also check any local law schools to see if they have estate planning clinics. You might be able to get more pro bono or at least less costly help through those sources.
If you have a complicated will, then you may want a more sophisticated form such as 3PinkRoses suggested or something from a finance expert. Some people just want to leave everything to a child or children - others have very specific bequests.
If you have a complicated issue, then an attorney is best. Good luck to you. The legal work is important, yet attorneys can be expensive. It's not an uncommon problem to not quite know what to do.
Carol
The difference between a will and a trust is you avoid probate with a trust and it is much easier when the time comes. Blessings to you.