Where Do I Put My Dying Wishes?First, what are your dying wishes? Are they that you wish to be cremated or buried? There is really no great place to put that information to insure it gets followed. But, that being said, your instructions are best placed in your living will.
Why? Because you should be disseminating copies of your living will (stating your decisions regarding whether you'd want to be sustained by life support,etc.)to others: your family or friends, and your doctors. Also, you should keep a copy of your living will with you, in your wallet. Therefore, if it is your desire to be cremated, and you have put that direction in your advance directive, the persons who will be called upon to honor your dying wishes will have irrefutable direction as to what they should be doing. They will know what you wanted for yourself.
If, instead, you put your desire to be cremated (or buried, etc) in your Last Will and Testament, your wishes might not be known until its too late. The Last Will and Testament does not have to be filed in most jurisdictions until approximately 30 days after death. Your Last Will and Testament passes your property, both real property (your house and land) and personal property (your assets and personal belongings), as you direct, if that property is in your name only (and you have no designated beneficiary). You may also pass property you own by a Living Trust (also known as a revocable or grantor trust). This type of trust is known as a "will substitute". But, for your dying wishes, it's recommended that you let people know what you'd want. Better yet, make your plans and prepay your funeral, etc. while you are healthy and competent. This loving act takes a burden off of your family members.
For more information about
dying wishes
|
