A Will is an essential document that outlines your wishes for the distribution of your assets after your passing - including real estate, investments, personal belongings, and financial accounts.

It serves multiple crucial purposes, such as designating an Executor to administer your estate, appointing a Guardian for your minor children, and specifying your final arrangements and burial preferences. Additionally, a Will allows you to leave specific gifts to individuals and make charitable contributions to support the causes dear to you.  It also helps avoid problems and costs that can happen when someone dies without a Will. Our software is designed to follow the specific legal requirements for Wills in each state, ensuring your Will is valid and legally recognized.

Our mission is to help families and individuals plan for their future by providing online tools to create Wills, Healthcare Directives, and Catholic Funeral Plans.

Yes, you can definitely designate a charity as a beneficiary in your Will. Including a charitable organization in your Will allows you to support causes and organizations that are meaningful to you even after your passing.

You can choose to give a specific amount of money or a percentage of your assets to the charity. Additionally, if you have specific instructions or preferences regarding how you want your charitable gift to be utilized, you can include those details in your Will as well.

The decision to use an online Will template or seek professional legal assistance depends on your comfort level, the complexity of your estate, and your specific needs and preferences.

If you have a complex financial situation or a lot of assets, you might want to talk to an attorney to get legal and tax advice about your Will.  In the event of you needing an attorney, Catholic Legacy can still help by providing a detailed document that outlines your wishes. This can make the attorney’s work faster, potentially saving you money.

Creating a Will online with Catholic Legacy is a good choice for people who have a simple financial situation with no complex family dynamics or unique legal considerations. Our Will template provides a user-friendly platform that guides you through the process by asking relevant questions about your wishes and intentions. Additionally, we transform your responses into a comprehensive set of documents that can serve as a legally valid Will. Make sure to read through your Will carefully to ensure it is right. It is also recommended to have an attorney check the Will when you sign it, to be sure it is legally valid.

In short, once you have validly signed your Will document from Catholic Legacy, it becomes legally binding and enforceable. However, there are important factors that determine the validity of your signature.

The most crucial consideration is that you understand what you are doing when you create your Will and that you are making your own choices without anyone pressuring you.

To establish the validity of your signature, it is also crucial to properly sign the Will in the presence of witnesses who are unrelated to you and not named as beneficiaries in your Will. These impartial witnesses play a significant role in affirming that you are of sound mind and not subject to any undue influence or coercion, thus strengthening the legal validity of your Will. Their signatures serve as evidence that you have executed the Will in accordance with legal requirements, thus making it legally binding.

The most important next step after completing the online Will form is to download, print, and sign the PDF copy of your Will. At minimum, you are the only person who needs to sign your Will. However, it is advisable to sign your Will in the presence of two (2) simultaneously present witnesses who are unrelated to you and who are not named in your Will as beneficiaries. By having these two witnesses, you strengthen the legal validity of your Will. To further strengthen the validity of your Will, you could have an attorney present when you sign it with the witnesses. The attorney can help ensure everything is done correctly.  Even though the attorney does not need to check your Will, they will be able testify in court that your signature and the witnesses are valid if anyone questions your Will.

Once your Will is validly signed, make sure you store it in a safe place and notify your executor(s) of its location. You do not need to file your Will with the courts while you are still living. However, in many jurisdictions, your executor(s) has 30 days to file your Will with the courts once you have passed away.

Yes! By using Catholic Legacy's online platform, you have the convenience of easily updating your Will as needed. However, it's important to remember that when you make changes, you will need to have the updated Will properly signed and witnessed, just like you did for your original Will.

To update your Will, log in to your Catholic Legacy account and access your existing documents. By modifying your responses in the Will form, you can update your wishes and preferences. Once you have made the desired changes, it's crucial to print and then sign the revised Will in the presence of witnesses who are unrelated to you and not named as beneficiaries. Their signatures make the document legally binding.

If you have any concerns or questions while making changes to your Will, it's always a good idea to seek guidance from a legal professional who can confirm that your modifications are done correctly and comply with the necessary legal requirements.

Remember, keeping your Will up to date ensures that your wishes are accurately reflected, giving you peace of mind for the future.

It is important to update your Will especially as you go through various life changes. Here are some common triggers that may prompt you to review and update your Will:

1. Life Events: Major life events such as marriage, divorce, birth or adoption of children, or the death of a beneficiary may warrant updates to your Will. These events can significantly impact your desired distribution of assets and appointment of guardians or beneficiaries.
2. Change in Financial Situation: If your financial situation has changed significantly, such as acquiring new assets, selling assets, or experiencing a substantial increase or decrease in wealth, you may want to update your Will to reflect these changes so that your assets are distributed according to your current intentions.
3. Relocation: If you have moved to a different state or country, it is advisable to review your Will, as laws regarding Wills and estates can vary. Updating your Will based on the laws of your new jurisdiction can help you avoid potential complications.
4. Changes in Relationships: If your relationships with beneficiaries, executors, or guardians have evolved, you may want to revise your Will accordingly. This could involve adding or removing individuals or adjusting the distribution of assets to reflect your current intentions and relationships.
5. Changes in Preferences: Your personal preferences or priorities may evolve over time. For example, you may develop new philanthropic interests or wish to support different charities. Updating your Will allows you to reflect these changes and ensure your wishes are carried out accordingly.

It is generally recommended to review your Will periodically, such as every few years, even if nothing big has changed, to make sure it still reflects what you want.

Remember, it is always a good idea to seek legal advice when considering changes to your Will. An attorney can provide guidance specific to your situation and in accordance with the applicable laws and regulations.

If you have a minor child or children, then it is important to include a guardianship designation in your will. Courts have plenary authority—meaning complete and full power—over guardianship of minor children, including the selection and appointment of legal guardians. The preference of a child’s parent or parents regarding custody is taken into account in deciding guardianship. A guardianship designation, to be valid, must be in writing and witnessed by 2 or more credible witnesses, neither of whom is the person designated as the guardian. If the designation is signed and attested in the same manner as a will, it shall have prima facie validity and may be relied upon by courts, unless rebutted.   

Usually, only the person designated in a will seeks appointment as guardian, and courts will typically appoint that person as guardian unless there is some legally disqualifying factor of unfitness. 

Courts make guardianship decisions based on the "best interests of the child," a legal standard that can vary depending on your state's laws. A testamentary guardian designation - the selection of a guardian for your minor children in your will - can be the deciding factor in situations if more than one person vies for guardianship, such as an aunt and a grandparent. In such situations, the court must weigh each person's suitability and consider the child's best interests, potentially leading to intense and emotional legal battles.

If you pass away without a will, or without designating a guardian for your children in your will, then a court's selection of a guardian may not align with your wishes or reflect the Catholic values you hold dear. This is where Catholic Legacy plays a crucial role. By creating a will with Catholic Legacy, you can ensure that your children are placed in the care of someone who upholds your faith and values, providing them with a loving, faith-filled upbringing that honors your Catholic beliefs. Catholic Legacy empowers you to protect your children's spiritual future, giving you peace of mind that they will be raised in accordance with the traditions and values you cherish.

A Healthcare Directive, also known as a Living Will or Advance Healthcare Directive, is a legal document that allows you to express your wishes regarding medical treatment and healthcare decisions in the event that you become unable to verbally communicate or make decisions for yourself.

In a Healthcare Directive, you can state what kind of medical care you want or don't want, especially if you become unable to communicate your wishes. It typically addresses circumstances such as end-of-life care, life-sustaining treatments, and organ donation.

A Healthcare Directive lets your doctors and loved ones know what kind of medical care you want, even if you can't tell them yourself. This document can help ensure that your healthcare wishes are respected and followed even if you are unable to communicate them at the time.

It is important to note that the specific laws and requirements surrounding Healthcare Directives may vary by jurisdiction. Consulting with an attorney or utilizing a reliable online service like Catholic Legacy can help you create a legally valid Healthcare Directive that aligns with your Faith, your preferences, and the laws of your jurisdiction.

Having a Healthcare Directive is important for several reasons:

1. Personal Autonomy and Dignity: Catholic beliefs emphasize the inherent dignity of every human life and the importance of personal autonomy. By creating a Healthcare Directive, you can exercise your autonomy in healthcare decisions, ensuring that your values and beliefs are respected, even when you are unable to communicate or make decisions. It allows you to uphold your human dignity by guiding the medical choices made on your behalf.
2. Honoring the Sanctity of Life: Catholic teachings emphasize the sanctity of human life from conception to natural death. A Healthcare Directive enables you to express your wishes regarding life-sustaining treatments, resuscitation, and end-of-life care in accordance with your Catholic beliefs. It ensures that medical decisions made on your behalf uphold the sanctity of life and reflect your spiritual and moral convictions.
3. Relieving Burden on Loved Ones: By having a Healthcare Directive in place, you alleviate the burden of your loved ones having to make difficult healthcare decisions on your behalf, giving them clarity and solace in knowing that they are following your expressed wishes.
4. Consistency with Catholic Bioethical Principles: Through a Healthcare Directive, you can address Catholic bioethical principles such as informed consent, proportionate care, and avoiding unnecessary suffering by specifying your preferences for pain management, use of life-sustaining treatments, and other medical interventions.
5. Legal Recognition: In many jurisdictions, Healthcare Directives have lawful standing, providing a legally recognized framework for your medical decisions, including those formed by Catholic teachings. Healthcare professionals are obligated to respect and follow your documented preferences, provided that these preferences are within the boundaries of the law.

Creating a Healthcare Directive that incorporates your Catholic beliefs is an important step in aligning your healthcare decisions with your faith. Consulting with an attorney or utilizing a reputable online service such as CatholicLegacy.com allows you to create a legally valid Healthcare Directive that reflects your Catholic beliefs, respects your autonomy, and upholds the sanctity of life.

As a practicing Catholic, there are several reasons why making a funeral plan for yourself is important:

1. Honoring Catholic Funeral Traditions: Making a funeral plan allows you to specify your preferences for a Funeral Mass, final Sacraments, and other important Catholic traditions that are integral to the Faith. By planning ahead, you can ensure that your funeral reflects your Catholic beliefs and values, even if your loved ones are non-Catholic or not practicing Catholics.
2. Easing the Burden on Your Loved Ones: Preplanning your funeral relieves your family members and loved ones from the stress of making difficult decisions during a time of grief and mourning. It provides clear instructions and guidance regarding your wishes, sparing your loved ones from the emotional burden of having to guess or make choices on your behalf.
3. Personalizing Your Funeral: Planning your own funeral allows you to add personal touches that reflect your unique life and journey of faith. You can express your preferences for hymns, readings, prayers, and even specific individuals to participate in the funeral Mass or deliver words of remembrance. Personalizing your funeral in this way creates a meaningful and memorable experience that celebrates your life and faith.
4. Ensuring Proper Spiritual Care: By making a funeral plan, you can designate a trusted priest or clergy member familiar with Catholic traditions and the proper celebration of the Sacraments to preside over your Funeral Mass and offer spiritual guidance to your loved ones.
5. Stewardship of Resources: Planning your funeral in advance allows you to make financial arrangements and allocation of resources in accordance with your Catholic faith and values. You can explore options for burial or cremation, make provisions for or prepurchase a burial plot in a Catholic cemetery, and even express your preferences for charitable donations in your memory.

By making a funeral plan for yourself, you take an active role in shaping the spiritual, emotional, and practical aspects of your funeral. It allows you to honor your Catholic faith, support your loved ones, and provide a clear roadmap for the celebration of your life in the hope of Eternal Life in Christ. Catholic Legacy provides valuable guidance in creating a funeral plan that reflects your Catholic beliefs and desires.

Yes, through Catholic Legacy, it is possible to create a funeral plan for a recently passed loved one, specifically tailored to a Catholic Funeral Mass. Here are steps you can take to create a meaningful funeral plan:

1. Communicate with family and friends: Begin by informing family members, close friends, or the executor of the estate about your intention to create a funeral plan for your loved one. Keep family and close friends apprised about the funeral plans and invite their participation and input. This may include asking them to contribute to the selection of readings, offering prayers, or participating in the offertory procession during the Mass. Their contribution and support can be a valuable part of the process.
2. Gather important information: Collect information about your loved one's wishes, such as their preference for a Catholic Funeral Mass, specific readings, hymns, or beloved prayers. Check if he or she left behind any documents, such as a Will or preplanning paperwork, which may contain relevant information.
3. Customize the Funeral Mass: Catholic Legacy's online funeral planner provides guidance and assistance in organizing a Catholic Funeral Mass, ensuring that your loved one's wishes and Catholic traditions are honored. You can customize the Funeral Mass to reflect your loved one's beliefs and preferences such as the selection of appropriate liturgical readings, choice of hymns, and involvement of family members or friends for applicable roles during the Mass. Our funeral planner offers a convenient and accessible way to create a meaningful and personalized Catholic Funeral Mass that respects and upholds your loved one's faith and legacy.
4. Coordinate with the parish: Collaborate with the clergy or representatives from your loved one's parish, who can provide guidance on whether your loved one's wishes align with the traditions and practices of the Catholic faith.

Creating a funeral plan for the recently deceased, in collaboration with Catholic Legacy and your loved one's parish, ensures that the Funeral Mass reflects the beauty and traditions of the Catholic Church while providing comfort and solace to all those in attendance.