You may be wondering why it’s so important to have an understanding of your parents’ plans and wishes regarding their finances. Gaining a better understanding of their estate plan or estate trust may be difficult to talk about at first but if you don’t begin the conversation now, a sudden change in your parents’ health or an untimely death can quickly lead to an estate planning nightmare. If their wishes are not clearly known or if a will is not in place, the court system will decide how your family’s assets should be divided, through intestacy laws.

Having a last will and testament helps ensure that your wishes regarding your trusts and assets distribution are honored after death. But even though you may think you have everything in place, you should take a careful look at several of the following common errors made in a last will so you may avoid them.

Each year thousands of people avoid hiring estate attorneys and create their own wills, powers of attorney and other estate planning documents with prearranged online tools and how-to manuals. This do-it-yourself strategy can really hurt you in the future, when overlooked mistakes create ambiguity that makes your final wishes after your passing impossible to implement. An estate attorney helps ensure nothing is overlooked.

Residents in a nursing home have the same rights as any other citizen. In addition, many states have regulations and laws specifically for Nursing Home residents.  They have a right to privacy and dignity; and to participate in their healthcare plan. Living in an institution often makes an individual more dependent on others for their care, and they are particularly vulnerable if they’re disabled. Knowing the nursing home resident’s rights helps preserve personal dignity and protects against negligence or abuse.