DO IT NOW: OK, we’re a country of procrastinators. Especially
when it comes to those end-of-life issues. But we have a way to
help get you started on one of those tasks, quickly and without any
cost.

HALT, a leading publisher of legal self-help publications, has
released a new guide to assist consumers in writing their will.

The Citizen’s Legal Guide Write Your Will: No More
Procrastination is available for free on HALT’s Web site
(www.halt.org) and through HALT’s Legal Information
Clearinghouse.

“It’s easy to put off writing your will, but it’s definitely a
mistake,” said HALT Program Director Theresa Meehan Rudy, the
guide’s author.

“The rules regarding your estate have scant regard for your
wishes. The only way to make sure those wishes are carried out is
to get your estate in order, and a great way to begin that process
is by writing your will.”

A recent nationwide survey conducted by one of the largest
financial advisers in the country found that many affluent
Americans have not taken the necessary steps to plan their
estates.

This same survey found that more than one-third of the nation’s
wealthiest individuals do not have wills, health-care proxies or
trusts. Procrastination is the excuse most cited by the survey
respondents who do not have a will.

HALT’s easy-to-understand guide answers consumers’ basic
questions about wills and estate planning including: what it takes
to make a will legally valid, what property can pass to heirs
outside of a will, how to choose an executor, what the executor’s
duties are, and how to make changes to a will. The guide also
advises consumers about their will-writing options such as using
do-it-yourself software, working with independent paralegals or
hiring a lawyer.

HALT’s 8-page free Citizens Legal Guides supplement HALT’s
existing range of resources, which includes brief brochures and
handouts along with Citizens Legal Manuals, full-length books that
offer detailed information on a legal topic, such as legal
research, probate or small claims court.

Founded in 1978, HALT-An Organization of Americans for Legal
Reform is a nonpartisan, nonprofit public interest organization.
HALT pursues an aggressive education and advocacy program that
challenges the legal establishment to improve access and
accountability and reduce costs in the civil justice system.