Although many of us do not like to think about the inevitable fact that we will all die one day, accepting this and planning ahead by creating a living will is a responsible way to avoid problems is something unexpected and tragic happens. Luckily, there are several ways you can begin creating a living will online using templates and the options given here are all free. Naturally, creating a living will online for free using a living will template is not as good of an option as actually having a lawyer help you to create your living will but, if nothing else, using the free living will templates for a living will listed below will at least give you some practice and will assist you in working out the basics before you actually have lawyer aid in the process of creating a living will.
As suggested above, all of us will need to create a living will at some point to ensure that our wishes are carried out through a legally binding contract between ourselves, the executers of a will, and anyone else who is included in the will. Some people wonder if they are too young to create a living will but there is really no such thing. Anyone over the age of 18 should consider creating a will or, at least start thinking about by learning about the process of creating a living will for free online using a template that can be printed.
Persons should create a living will because it gives the power to make important personal decisions to your family, spouse and friends about your wishes. For instance, if you were in a car accident today and your family could not be immediately located or could not make a decision, the decision, without your living will, would be made by the hospital about your fate. While this is an extreme example, consider other issues such as how you will be cared for if you are incapacitated and, as everyone knows, what will happen to your stuff if you die and don’t have a living will? There are a number of important reasons and, if you find a free will that is printable online as a template, you can begin asking yourself tough questions about the inevitable. This can be a valuable process as it will force you to consider several aspects about the state of your life, possessions, and family.
The following are a few links to help you get started using free templates that you can print and contain free living wills. These are all verified as being genuinely free and useful in all states. Remember that there is no national standard for living will documents in existence. Each state has its own forms that must be filled out and it can be confusing because these are not always called “living wills” but sometimes are referred to as “advance directives” or “health care directives” depending on your state. Also, remember that there are various laws governing who must witness and execute your will. The sites listed below that offer free living will templates to print and fill out provide quality instructions.
CaringInfo.org
http://www.caringinfo.org/stateaddownload
This link from the non-profit organization CaringInfo.org contains state-by-state legal living will templates for free as well as advance directives and detailed instructions for using and printing the free living will template. All files are in PDF format. Simply choose your state and follow the instructions.
U.S. Living Will Registry
http://www.uslivingwillregistry.com/forms.shtm
This is a commercial website that offers to electronically store your will for health care teams in the event of an emergency situation where your family cannot be located. While this article will not testify as to the legitimacy of this source for free wills you can print out, it also offers a state-by-state list of government links to the forms appropriate for your state. This site refers to a living will as advance directives, do not be confused; an advance directive includes many of the same aspects of a living will, just under a slightly different name. Scroll down to the bottom of the page for the listing of each state offering a free online form for a living will or advance directive.
If you have difficulty using either of these websites, you can always go to the website for your state’s health department. What is best about the above websites, however, is that they often seem to offer more comprehensive information about what a will should do as well as details about wills in general in ways that seem to address the most frequently asked questions about the process of creating a living will. To learn more about living wills, advance directives, medical power of attorney and issues regarding medical power of attorney, this site from the Mayo Clinic is most helpful.
