Today the Zen Habits blog talks about five legal things for peace of mind and I want to talk about four of them.
First of all, get a will done. While you may not have to worry about it after you're passing do not put your family through having to figure out what to do with your stuff and money after you are gone.
My Uncle on my mother's side passed away only a few weeks before my father and the stress of dealing with my Uncle may have been something that pushed my father over the edge. My Uncle did not have a lot, a worthless piece of land near Kingman, Arizona which might have been worth something in a few years, a run down trailer and a $1000 car.
However, because he did not leave a will and he had no children, several members of the family fought over every little piece he had. It even came down to fighting over the genological records that my uncle had. In fact, several members of the family have not talked to each other since because of all the strife it created. Do a will!!
Next up is to have a living will. You never know what might happen and people need to know what to do. After my mother had a stroke a couple of years ago, I was left with making all the decisions about her health. She was suffering from Dementia so she could no longer make the decisions and never had a living will so once again the family started fighting. Everyone knew what was best and all seemed only to care about what was best for them, not for our mother. If she had made out a living will we would had known her wishes and carried them out.
Next up is to get the insurance you need so you do not have any worries if something happens. Even if you're renting your present office, home, or store make sure you are fully covered. Also, get Errors & Omissions insurance if you work in a business that is giving advice or doing services that people may be unhappy with the services no matter how hard you try and will try to sue.
Finally separate your business from your personal assets. Set up a corporation or a limited liability business entity to shield your personal assets incase of a fore mentioned lawsuit.
The most important thing is to get the proper legal advice in each of these areas so you do what is best for you.
