Letter of Last Instruction vs. Will
Posted by Fahz on 2012/03/23
Death and its preparation are things people would like to avoid planning and talking about.A recent survey on 1,001 adults by Rocket Lawyer found that 57 
percent of adults do not have a Will.
On a side note, a week ago, we unexpectedly lost a valuable personal finance academician, Dr. Celia Hayhoe, who has worked wonderfully on the Protecting Your Retirement program. The program focuses on talking about and planning for severe illness and death, long before such things happen.
Last month, with the help from John Darden Esq., I’ve revised our will and its preparation publications. I had wanted to place examples on Latter of Last Instruction and Will documents but could not get it done. Similar publications from Montana, Indiana, Utah, Florida, and Idaho universities also did not place examples of these publications.
So, below are some examples of Letter of Last Instruction.
- JDSUPRA
- End-of-Life Task Team – Fairbanks, Alaska
Unique aspects of a Letter of of Last Instruction include:
- This letter is not legally binding like a Will.
- From the examples above, the letter is not even signed, witnessed, nor notarized. I would just do it with two witnesses singing the letter.
- Leave a copy of this letter with several relatives and friends. You may write on the envelope, “Letter of Last Instruction”. E-mailing it to others? – I have to think about it.
PJ said
The one from the University of Idaho, is a worksheet if you look beyond the first page.
Fahz said
OK. And your point …. it’s not a publication? or it’s actually a Letter of Last Instruction?
Tucson Federal Credit Union said
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