
As you have been getting older, you may have heard it stressed more and more just how important it is to establish a valid and enforceable estate plan. You must understand that this is a general rule of thumb that applies across the board, regardless of your marital status; whether married, unmarried, divorced, single, or otherwise. So please continue reading to learn why you need an estate plan even if you are unmarried and how one of the experienced Butler County estate planning & probate attorneys at Heritage Elder Law & Estate Planning, LLC can help you with where to start.
What is the importance of having an estate plan even if I am unmarried?
While you may not be part of a state-registered marriage, you may still be part of a lifelong partnership with someone you deeply care about. What’s more, you may even have minor children whom you expect to survive you, and therefore whom you wish to be taken care of when you are sadly no longer there for them. With just considering your surviving partner and minor children, you may conclude that it is in your best interest to have an estate plan, even as an unmarried individual.
If you do not establish a valid and enforceable estate plan, then you may leave the distribution of your assets up to the fate of Pennsylvania’s intestate succession. With this, your partner may not receive anything if you are not legally married. Instead, your minor children may inherit everything. Or, if you do not have minor children, your surviving parents or siblings may inherit everything.
How should I approach my estate plan as an unmarried individual?
As an unmarried individual, the estate planning tool you should prioritize is a Last Will and Testament. This is so you may appoint your partner as a beneficiary of your estate. Therefore, they may receive a portion of your assets that they would have otherwise been passed on with Pennsylvania’s intestate succession.
What’s more, you may even be able to assign your partner as the legal guardian of your minor children. This is so they may have full custody and responsibility over your children, with whom they may already have an established bond and parent-child relationship. Otherwise, the fate of your children may be left in the hands of a Pennsylvania judge. With this, they may likely grant a surviving, blood-related family member guardianship rights.
Undoubtedly, this is simply the tip of the iceberg for your estate planning needs. So if you require immediate legal representation, look no further than one of the skilled Butler County estate planning & probate attorneys. Someone at Heritage Elder Law & Estate Planning, LLC will happily work with you. Call us today.