Your Last Will and Testament is the most important legal document in your estate plan, though it most likely won’t be the only one. Very often in the process of crafting wills, attorneys will prepare other important legal documents to accompany the will, such as a power of attorney, living will, and health care proxy.
There is also another important document that may be included as part of your estate planning, one that you, not your attorney, can actually prepare: a Letter of Final Wishes (LFW). Though your LFW has no legal basis, it’s an important document that allows you to share useful information with your loved ones about issues that fall outside of your will. This could include your wishes for your funeral service and burial arrangements, a list of people to notify of your passing — even a draft of your obituary.
Since it’s your LFW, you can be as specific as you like. In mine, for example, I’ve included a playlist of music for my memorial service (remember, I’ve built my career on planning). Your LFW could also include other details about your life and household information, including passwords and logins for online accounts.
To make it easier to prepare your LFW, I recommend you create a logical structure as follows:
If you’ve gone through the process of managing the affairs of a deceased friend or relative, you know that details matter. When crafting your letter of final wishes, think about the types of information you would have found helpful and include them. Lastly, when you finish your LFW, be sure your family knows where they can locate it to ensure all the helpful information you prepared is available to them.
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