Use A Letter of Last Instruction to Convey Your Final Wishes

Through estate planning, using a letter of last instruction can guarantee that your loved ones are unmistakable concerning your last wishes. Find out more concerning this document below.

Devising a final wishes document can be overpowering and emotional. To ease some of those emotions, begin by creating a letter of last instruction to provide important information that your relatives are going to following your passing. This document gives instructions that guide your loved ones through the estate planning process by condensing important burial, financial, and personal details.

Read this post to find out more concerning what a letter of last instruction is, the aspects to include in the letter, the steps in creating one, and tips for devising your final wishes.

What is a letter of last instruction?

A letter of last instruction is a paper allowing you to organize and provide your family with instructions relevant to your final wishes. This letter usually sets out your legal documentation, vital personal and financial details, and burial wishes, among others.

It’s important to remember that a last wishes letter is not a will or a replacement for one because it is not legally enforceable. A will is legal documentation that declares what you are going to want to happen to your assets following your death.

Even though a letter of last instruction is not legally enforceable, it’s a very useful way of instructing your family. It’s also invaluable since you can update it whenever you want without having to pay to do it.

Seven factors to include in your letter of last instruction

What to include in your letter of last instruction. Financial and personal passwords, including social media platforms. Legal and financial desires. Contact details. Instructions for pets. Beneficiary details. Legal paperwork and locations of property. Burial and/ or remembrance service preferences.

The objective of a letter of last instruction is to provide all of the necessary personal, medical, and financial details required to guarantee that your affairs are managed the way you want them to be following your passing.

Below are seven key factors you should think about including in your final wishes document.

1. Contact information

The first factor you need to set out in your last letter of instruction is your important contact information. This comprises of:

• Personal contacts: This needs to be a list of individuals that should be notified of your passing. These individuals can be any relatives, friends, business colleagues, clergy, or anyone else you keep a personal relationship with.
• Financial and business contacts: This comprises of contact information for individuals such as your financial advisor, insurance broker, CPAs, and lawyers.

When devising this list, guarantee all contact information is as through and updated as much as possible.

2. Legal forms, documentation, and property locations

Then, devise a list detailing the locations of your legal forms, documents, and property locations. This comprises of the locations of:

• Mortgage paperwork
• Titles and deeds, including any vehicle titles
• Birth certificates
• Contracts
• Income tax returns
• Insurance policies
• Veterans benefit files
• Wills
• Marriage and/or divorce certificates
• Financial institution accounts
• Trust documents
• Social Security cards

Make sure to additionally include a list of your account numbers along with the financial institution account locations.

3. Personal and financial passwords

When devising your last wishes, guarantee that your personal and financial logins and passwords are available when your family requires access. This is vital so that the person that oversees managing your estate is able to access those accounts to close them.

These passwords can include:

• Financials: Include logins to your financial institution accounts, comprising of the account and routing numbers
• E-mail: Any e-mail accounts that you have should be provided, like Gmail or YahooMail
• Subscriptions: This can be details for accounts such as AARP, AAA, retail memberships, streaming subscriptions, and shopping services
• Profiles for social media: YouTube, Instagram and Facebook, are a couple of instances of what to include for this
• Vehicle information: Should you own one or multiple vehicles, take down their year, model, make, license number, VIN numbers, and the location of the title(s)

In doing so, you can guarantee that your financial information is protected and that your information is not abused following your passing.

4. Beneficiary details

Include your beneficiary details in your final wishes document. These are the names and contact information of the individual(s) or heirs that you have designated in your life insurance policy to receive death benefits.

In addition, you can include directions on who should receive specific items or possessions. For instance, if one of your children requested a particular heirloom, you should denote that their wish be respected.

5. Instructions for pets

Should you have any pets, you are going to want to provide guidance on how to care for them and any added information, like pet trust details. Whom do you want to take over ownership of them? Is any special care required, such as specific feeding time or medication(s)? This is also an ideal place to include your pet’s vet information.

6. Funeral or remembrance service wishes

You are also going to want to get your funeral plans and memorial service wishes in line within your letter of last instructions. below are some vital questions to ask when creating this:

• Are you planning on having a funeral or memorial services?
• What location do you want your funeral or memorial carried out?
• What kind of funeral or memorial service would you like to have?
• Are any services presently paid for?
• Do you want a cremation or burial?
• Are you an organ donor?
• Are you going to like to donate your body for scientific research?
• Are there any particular individuals you want to pronounce your eulogy?
• Should you want an obituary, what are the details you want included in it?

In this part, present deeds of plot ownership and particular instructions concerning things such as music, pictures, and flowers. You can also offer your final wishes for healthcare, like if you agree to life support.

7. Legal and financial information and wishes

This part should declare your final wishes for any legal or financial assets. Common wishes for this comprise of:

• Any charitable donations or charitable trust details
• What assets or properties are you leaving behind
• Financial institution account balances
• Securities, investment funds
• Business properties
• Credit cards
• Loans
• Details concerning any outstanding liabilities

When any liabilities are owed to you, be sure to include collateral, full contact information of the debtor, payment conditions, and further information.

How do you devise a last wish letter? Four straightforward steps

Four steps for devising your last wish letter. Develop your lists of information. Organize them. Review and amend your letter. Make copies and keep them is a safe place.

Whereas there’s no comprehensive method to follow or “correct” way to compile your document, it’s still vital to guarantee that your letter includes the correct information and is easily read. Carry out these four steps when compiling your last wishes.

1. Devise your list of information

Keeping the factors aforementioned in mind, the initial step in devising your final wish letter is to assemble your list. Below is a summary of the factors to include:

• Contact details
• Locations of legal forms, documents, and property
• Personal and financial passwords
• Beneficiary details
• Instructions for pets
• Burial or remembrance service wishes
• Financial and legal information and wishes
• Medical and health wishes

Note: Make sure to also date and title the document, so others will know this is your last wishes document and the time it was created.

2. Organize your lists

Following you gathering your information, organize your list into categories making it easier to adhere to. Try to be clear and concise, and don’t be reluctant to include any personal touches or subtleties that your beneficiaries could benefit from.

Note: To make your list of details easier to read, maybe put them into bullet points under each category.

3. Examine and amend your letter

After you’ve devised your letter, take some time to examine and perhaps amend it. This is going to allow you to guarantee you have included all the required information and declare your most present wishes. This is not a legally enforceable document, so you can modify the document whatever time you want.

Situations and relationships can change and progress. So, think about marking a date on your calendar yearly to examine the letter and make modifications if necessary.

Note: Every time you modify your last wish letter, make sure to revise the date on the document—as this is going to help in adding further conciseness to the estate planning process at the right time.

4. Make copies and keep them in a safe location

Following you completing your letter of last instruction, be sure that you make multiple copies. Furthermore, because this document encompasses all your private and personal information, make sure you store the original document in one safe location, and its copies in another safe location.

Provide copies for your lawyer and/ or executor and retain one for you and one for your family—only share this document with people you trust.

Note: Think about storing it someplace online, like your email, so there is a digital copy accessible should the physical copy go missing.

Pointers for devising your final wishes​

• Begin sooner than later to get ahead.
• Have it separate from your will and other documentation.
• Reach out for support from family members and friends.

Compiling your letter of last instruction can feel nerve-racking, but there are several things you can do to relieve some of the stress. The following are some helpful pointers to bear in mind when devising your last wishes letter:

Initiate your last wishes early

It’s never too soon to gather your last wishes—the sooner this is done, the better. In this regard, you can take all the time you want to guarantee that you include as much information as you can. Preparing sooner than later can also provide with you the chance to relieve your loved ones from making last-moment arrangements throughout a time that’s already challenging.

Have it separate from your will and other documentation

A will is different from your last wishes document. Make sure you keep your letter of instruction separate from your other estate planning paperwork, like your letter of testamentary and last will.

However, you might want to think about attaching a copy of your letter to those other estate planning documents to help provide further information and details of your wishes and conditions.

Keep your loved ones in the know and talk about your plans.

Reach out for support from family and friends

Make sure to lean on family and friends for support throughout this time—they can be an inspiring system that can help you arrange and organize your last wishes. It’s also vital to keep your loved ones in the know and talk about your plans. This can help guarantee that no curveballs pop up in the future.

Why it’s vital to devise a letter of last instruction

There are a lot of reasons to devise a last wishes letter, but at the end of the day, it’s there to help your friends and family you are going to be leaving behind. Disregarding the reasons for your last wishes, they need to always be made known and respected. Below are some other reasons why you need to devise a last letter of instruction:

• Organization can give you contentment: It’s comforting knowing your affairs are in order prior to your demise. A last wishes document can give you contentment.
• Saves time: Having your last wishes in order ahead of time can save your family time and money when planning affairs and takes out any speculation.
• Provides you with some control: Devising a letter of last instruction aids you in feeling more in control because you are going to be giving directions on what you want to happen following your passing.

Get your final wishes organized to feel at peace

Devising and compiling your last wishes letter can be emotional and difficult. However, it enables you to give your loved one’s guidance based on clear direction in your last letter of instruction.

To guarantee that your loved ones and property are safeguarded, think about beginning an estate plan sooner than later.

Source:

1. Use a letter of last instruction to convey your final wishes. LegalZoom. (n.d.). Retrieved May 5, 2023, from https://www.legalzoom.com/articles/final-wishes

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