The Importance of Making a Will

A will is the cornerstone of estate planning, which is the process of managing assets for the present and future.

Why should you consider making a will?

• To ensure that your wishes are honored
• To protect your loved ones
• To leave a legacy that lives on with a meaningful gift

A will also offers an opportunity to make an enduring statement of faith and to make a difference that lasts beyond one’s lifetime.

Getting Started

There are many readily available tools to help you get started thinking about creating a will or updating a will that you may already have.

• The Presbyterian Foundation’s Estate Planning Guide offers a worksheet to help think through the asset classes that should be considered in an estate plan.
• 27 Estate Documents You Need to Put in One Place
• Estate planning websites offer helpful tips and tools with an option to pay for a planning attorney to create a will and trust that meets the requirements of your state of residence.
  • Ethos.com offers will and trust guidance, with an option to find a professional to help plan
  • Quicken Willmaker and Trust
  • Legal Zoom
  • Fast Will, an online estate planning service with helpful white papers on estate planning in individual states
  • PersonalFamilyLawyer.com, a tool to find estate planning attorneys in your state
    
    

If you have questions about remembering Fourth Church or Chicago Lights in your estate plans, please contact Katy Frey Bever, Senior Director of Development, via email.

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