All Adults need a will
By Al Jackson

Hope you had a nice Christmas. We sure did, and now my thoughts are turning to 2008 and the many exciting opportunities that are in front of us.

I was listening to a radio station the other day and heard a very thought provoking commercial. It is a wife asking her husband where he thought they should live. He said "Oh, don't know. Let's ask our government." She then asked him what they should name the baby boy that they were expecting. He gave the same answer. The announcer then said, "you'd never think of letting the government make those decisions for you, but if you do not have a will, you are agreeing that the government will decide how your belongings will be divided up upon your death."

Think about that for a moment. I am pretty sure that Carroll County statistics are not very different from the rest of the country. If that is true, then more than half of you who are reading this do not have a will. That means that when you die your estate will be distributed according to a government formula. I certainly do not want that and I'll bet that you don't either.

Why don't you resolve to do something about that early in the next year? Visit your attorney and have a will prepared. If you'd like some help in that area, we, at the Carroll County Community Foundation, have a free resource that explains some issues you should consider as you have a will prepared. You can feel much better knowing that you have taken care of this important piece of family business.

We know that you will want to make plans to take care of family members who might need support when you are no longer here. We also know that a great many of you will want to leave some resources behind to support your church or favorite charity. Your attorney can help you to decide the best way to do that.

Based on circumstances that are unique to each case, many of you will have wills that need to be tailored to your circumstances, but one thing you all have in common. You all need a will. Get it done soon.

For our free guide to planning your will, call 1-800-964- 0508 or e mail us at info@cfcarroll.org.

Al Jackson is president of the Carroll County Community Foundation.