What if I told you that you can personalize the law? You can change how some laws applies to you simply by signing your name (in cursive, because that’s how it’s done).
What happens when you sit down each week or month with your daily calendar to put together your doctor’s appointments, events at your church or temple, or to look up a grandchild’s birthday?
You only add your family’s events, right? Maybe you add a friend’s birthday party, a kid’s test date, or a religious holiday, but only the events that your family celebrates.
Why do you do that?
Because it’s your calendar for your family. You started with a blank calendar and filled it with dates and events that are only important to you.
Imagine if you borrowed your friend’s family calendar. It’s totally useless to you, right? You don’t care when your friend has a meeting with the plumber to fix her leaky sink, or what times of day she’s supposed to take her thyroid medication.
(Well, of course you care because you want her to stay healthy, but realistically you care in the abstract about her taking her medication, you need to know exactly what times and in what dosages.)
Your Last Will and Testament is the same as your family calendar. It’s yours. It has to tell your story.
It doesn’t do you any good to copy your neighbor’s Will. That’s like trying to get a plumber to show up to deliver a prescription. It just doesn’t make sense.
Just like your customized and personalized calendar, your Will and your estate plan need to be customized and personalized to fit you, your lifestyle, and your family.