Cedar City Estate Planning

Find the right Wills & Trusts attorney in Cedar City, UT

Most people in Cedar City have preferences about what should be done with their property after they die. This is why the procedure of estate planning exists - it authorizes people to make a broad range of decisions related to this issue.

If you want to start the process of planning your estate, you've made a good choice, particularly if you care about what happens to your survivors after you're gone. You should be careful, however, and make sure you have the help of a legal and financial expert every step of the way. This will likely prove extremely helpful in the long run, preventing a lot of problems in the future.

While planning your estate, there are a few frequent issues that most people should consider. One big one is the decision relating to power of attorney, which is an arrangement where you give one person the power to make legally-binding decisions on your behalf. You can set up an agreement telling your representative clearly what power they have, what you want them to do, and when the power will vest (normally, if and when you become unable to make your own decisions).

A qualified estate planner in Cedar City can make the procedure of planning your estate go much more smoothly, and maximize the chances of your wishes really being carried out with legal force.

Common Features of Cedar City Estates

Will: This is a legal document which transfers ownership of the testator's (the person making the will) property to named beneficiaries after the testator's death. The beneficiaries can be just about anyone the testator chooses, but smaller estates, usually only include family members, and maybe very close friends. If you want, you can place conditions on gifts (say, leaving a certain amount of money to your son, but only if he graduates college before he turns 25 - this is just an example). However, a will can't actually compel anyone to do anything, and some conditional gifts won't be enforced, usually because they involve an illegal act, or require a person to marry or refrain from marrying a certain person.

Living Will: This is a document which lays out instructions for your medical care, should you become so sick or badly harmed that you are unable to express your wishes. It should state under what situations you want to remain on life support. A well-drafted living will can prevent you from being kept alive in a permanent vegetative state (if that is not what you want), while guaranteeing that you receive medical care as long as you have a chance at recovery.

Power of Attorney: Power of attorney, while important, is not to be used lightly. This is because it involves granting someone else the power to make legally-binding decisions on your behalf. Normally, your spouse will automatically have power of attorney if you become incapacitated. If you are not married, however, you need to make a document explicitly granting that authority to someone you trust (a life partner or close family member, for instance).

Funeral Arrangements: Some people, for religious and other reasons, have very particular wishes regarding the disposal of their remains after they die. Some want to be buried. Others, cremated. No matter what your preferences on this matter are, it's important that you inform your family of them far in advance. These instructions should be included in a document that is likely to be read before your death (such as a living will), or very shortly thereafter. This excludes a will, because it's commonly weeks after a person dies until their will is read.

Do I Need a Cedar City Estates Lawyer?

A seasoned estate planning professional in Cedar City can be invaluable, and you will probably find their services to be well worth the price. They can make the whole process a great deal simpler, and they can also help to minimize the chances that your estate plan will be disputed, saving your survivors a great deal of time, money, and energy.

Talk to a Wills, Trusts & Estates Law Attorney now!

Life in Cedar City

Cedar City, Utah is a community of about 28,000 people located in Iron County.

Rock art dating from the years 1000 to 1300 AD has been found around Cedar City, indicating that humans have lived in the era since prehistory. The first Americans of European descent to settle the area were a group of Mormon pioneers, who arrived in 1851. For a brief period after this initial settlement, an ironworks operated in Cedar City, but closed in 1858. However, iron mining remained an important industry in Cedar City well into the late 20th Century.

In 1923, a railroad connection to the city was completed, allowing Cedar City, Utah to serve as a gateway for tourists visiting the area's several national parks, such as Zion National Park, Grand Canyon National Park, and Bryce Canyon National Park. This lead to rapid growth of the city, because, during that time, Americans were beginning to see the value of preserving wilderness, and the number of visitors to national parks was skyrocketing.

Cedar City, Utah remains a major hub for visitors to these national parks, and other nearby points of interest, to this day.

Cedar City, Utah lawyers are well-equipped to handle a wide variety of legal problems that an ordinary person is likely to face. However, you shouldn't take that to indicate that any case is too big for the lawyers of Cedar City, Utah, either.

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