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[deleted] t1_j2ewcuh wrote

There is a website called freewill.com where you can make a will for free. I did it and had a notary/paralegal friend look it over.

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2K_Argo t1_j2ewrpz wrote

Generating a will is easy. You need to find an executor to carry out your will. That person will help oversee the sale of your property and allocation of your estate. A lawyer can do this but shop fees before you decide.

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Mysterious-Lobster20 t1_j2exl6o wrote

You'd likely be setting up an estate that will handle the sale and transfer of funds to the humane society. You wouldn't directly give the house to them, your estate will sell it and then donate the profit from the sale.

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ChiSquare1963 t1_j2ezhnb wrote

You write a will. You state that you have a sister [Name] and that you are not leaving her anything. You say that your entire estate is left to [CharityName]. You name someone to handle your estate, typically called the executor.

Create a folder or binder that is clearly labelled “estate plan” or “last wishes” or “on my death”. Put that folder somewhere obvious, like in the front of file drawer. Put your will in it.

The executor pays any final bills, notifies heirs, and gets house ownership transferred or sells house and sends charity the proceeds.

Other things for your folder: Documents that will help your executor find your accounts like bank statement and voided check, 401k statement, electric bill, etc. Mine includes a list of people to notify of my death, a draft obituary, and a note about finding my passwords.

FYI, you need to name your closest relatives and specify that you are not giving them anything or are giving them a very small amount. Otherwise, they can challenge will on grounds that you forgot them.

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bros402 t1_j2f1d44 wrote

First, talk to a lawyer and get a will. Tell the lawyer your wishes.

Then, talk to the humane society - they'll have people at the organization who will help arrange things.

Have you thought about your funeral arrangements? You can donate your body to science for a free cremation

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sowhat4 t1_j2f1pyx wrote

Call the Humane Society or your local favorite charity, and I can almost guarantee they will provide you with an attorney or recommend one. I sure wouldn't do a 'Do-it-Yourself' will by yourself as that will be so easy for Sissy Dearest to set aside. You need water tight as your estate is significant enough to cause the vultures with lawyers on their back to circle.

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keplar t1_j2f3ov4 wrote

Utilize an attorney to get this done properly. The fact that you have a surviving sibling whom you wish to exclude could open this to challenges if not done right. Make sure you've got an executor in place as well, who knows your wishes - you won't want that role defaulting to your sister either.

In terms of the Humane Society, most good-sized charities and non-profits will have specialists who work with what is called "Planned Giving." Those are the folks you'll want to work with (along with your attorney) to sort out the details of what will be most useful and beneficial to them. They'll have a process, and likely will have worked with similar donations in the past.

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Badroadrash101 t1_j2f4dks wrote

Reach out to the Humane Society. They have people and lawyers that will assist you in setting up the necessary procedures and paperwork to leave your estate to them.

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shadow_chance t1_j2f51s3 wrote

You can (and probably) should do a will for the house at least. But you can also set the Humane Society as the beneficiary/payable on death on your bank accounts, 401k, etc. They will get the money regardless of the will.

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KatsRule99 t1_j2f80q9 wrote

I'm in a similar position as you though my home value is less than half that of yours. That said, I'll pass along what my attorney told me when I set up a will in case any of it applies to you.

My IRA and 401k have beneficiary designations where I chose an animal charity as my primary beneficiary in each of those accounts. What that means then is that it would not need to go through probate and the money will go directly to the charity I've designated.

I'm still unsure what to do about the house because that's a little more complicated. Maybe somebody else has some advice..

As for your sister, again this is what my lawyer told me regarding my brother is to leave him a token account as opposed to leaving him completely out of the will. If bro were to contest it, he wouldn't really have a legal leg to stand on, but he advised me it would be safer to leave him a little something as opposed to nothing. Maybe there's some personal item or something like that that you could designate for her?

Anyway, kudos to you for your savings and investment and for leaving your money to charity. I feel kinship with you. 🙏

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automator3000 t1_j2f87ga wrote

Something like the Humane Society would have someone who would be able to help with an estate gift like this.

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Adrift715 t1_j2f9ytj wrote

While I think it’s wonderful to give your estate to the humane society, please keep in mind there are many smaller animal rescue organizations as well that could desperately use a little help. Some just do horses, parrots, elephants etc. Just something to consider.

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DirectGoose t1_j2fau2h wrote

Whoever you name as executor of your will (lots of people use attorneys or banks for this) will collect and liquidate your assets.

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Doyouseenowwait_what t1_j2fc207 wrote

Consult your estate lawyer to get necessary paperwork in order. You may also want to contact the intended receiver. They may have a foundation or conservatorship that is in place to assist in the process. Many charities and religious groups have it streamlined to a science.

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HenryKringle6000 t1_j2fcoj5 wrote

Get a trust setup and declare your wishes. You can appoint a professional executor to implement it.

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Annual-Camera-872 t1_j2fezbe wrote

Replying to bros402 (#1,242,556)

Make sure you do the part about talking to the humane society so they expect the donation. There was an attorney here in Carmel that was embezzling those types of donations if the charities were unaware of the gift.

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ku91fanatic t1_j2fgalp wrote

A will isn't sufficient to do this, but it isn't complicated either. The way to exercise the most control of your assets after death is through a trust. You work with an attorney to establish a trust that lists how you want your assets to be passed on. You will also pick a person (called a trustee) who is in charge of executing your wishes after death, for a reasonable fee. You would list all beneficiaries as the trust you create so that the trust owns all assets after your death. At that point, the trustee will be able to sell any investments/assets that need to be liquidated and once the cash is available, the trustee will write a check as you have directed.

You can also list a bank or an attorney as your trustee. This is a good idea if you don't have a trusted person to handle this for you at death. There is more oversight when you have an entity like a bank serving as trustee, although the cost tends to be higher too.

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FellowConspirator t1_j2fh18k wrote

Create a will that specifies how your estate will handled. You can leave everything to the humane society, if you wish, simply make it part of the will. You can also name an executor for your estate - someone you trust to make sure that your instructions are carried out.

When you die, all your assets and debts become your estate. The assets will be used to settle any outstanding debts, and the remainder dispensed per your will. For real estate, it’s likely that the humane society has no use for the house, so you might ask that it be sold and the proceeds donated. This would be a task for the executor.

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MadameTree t1_j2fjtfq wrote

I got a will done by a lawyer for $125. You can even do it online but I prefer to actualy talk to one. You'll want to I assume specifically exclude your sister as she would be your nearest heir. Don't worry, the Humane Society will be able to handle it as long as you name them.

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LandWreddit t1_j2fmyge wrote

San Jude children hospital should be a good deed and they need it

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poorpanhandler t1_j2fn1w5 wrote

I would leave it to local humane societies, not national. The money will go a lot further towards animal care. Maybe even donate to all your local rescues that you trust, too. But do give your sister something, or she might decide to go to court claiming you just forgot to mention her.

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halibfrisk t1_j2fpcnw wrote

you should get an actual lawyer to have a secure will rather than rely on any online service

In some jurisdictions it’s hard to entirely disinherit family so the typical advice is to leave a token / symbolic gift to relatives you wish to exclude, rather than excluding them entirely. So maybe leave Mom’s old china or $100 to your sister (and any decendants if she predeceases you) so she (they) can’t claim they were overlooked.

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Qbr12 t1_j2fpdko wrote

If your goal is to leave everything to a large nonprofit, the easiest thing to do is to just reach out to their planned giving arm. They have lawyers who will happily write your will for you where they get everything, and it will be rock solid.

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prodjay10 t1_j2fr9uh wrote

I wonder if you you can specify the money doesn’t go to the execs bonuses or some bs like that

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Apples799 t1_j2ft4es wrote

If you have an intention on how your donation is used make sure funds that are donated are considered "Restricted" funds. e.g if you want to feed animals with the Humane society, pay for staff bonuses, etc..

But if you let leadership decide how to use the funds they are considered "unrestricted". "unrestricted" funds will usually be used by the Non-profut board and executives to spend as they see fit.

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oxphocker t1_j2ftd5c wrote

Replying to keplar (#1,243,499)

A tip I've heard is to will $1 to people you don't want getting anything or someone who might try to dispute the will. Because their name is in it, they can't make the claim that they were just forgotten.

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karenmcgrane t1_j2fukiq wrote

In addition to needing an estate attorney, a will, and an executor, I suggest doing some research to make sure whatever charity you donate to will make the best use of your money.

Do you have a specific reason for wanting to support the Humane Society, or do you want to support animal welfare? Lots of charities exist that will support the second goal, and your money might go farther with a local organization or with a different animal welfare charity.

Charity Navigator provides data about how non-profits operate and a rating for each one, here's a list of animal welfare organizations:

https://www.charitynavigator.org/search/?causes=Animal%20welfare

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sonia72quebec t1_j2fw7va wrote

If you give to the human society, make sure your donation goes for pet care (vaccine, sterilization...) and not euthanasia or luxury items like new cars or furniture. I volunteer at a cat shelter and when we get big donations (for us 1K is enormous) we spend all of it very wisely and with frugality. With a big organisation like them, make sure they treat your money with the same care.

You need a lawyer for a reputable firm to set this up. He/She will act as your executor and will sell your assets, pay your debts (if you have some) and give what's left after taxes to them. It's a long process. it took my Mom over a year to take care of her Cousin assets (and she didn't have a lot of money).

Have you also thought of a scholarship fund for Vet school for underprivileged students? That could also be a great legacy.

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ktmax750 t1_j2fwemw wrote

You may want to look at Charity Watch. They rate charities based on mission. How much actually goes to mission vs fund raising. HS had some sketchy stuff going on. CEO resigned etc. maybe break it into chunks to find multiple charities. Spread the good karma around.

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No_Newspaper_9568 t1_j2fxhtz wrote

You can go to Legal zoom and have a living will. List exactly as you wish. If you 100K is with a savings or checking, ask your bank if you can name a beneficiary and then make sure list then on your living trust and will. Legal zoom is fairly reasonable priced.....

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sweetestsb t1_j2fxmqu wrote

Sell it all and go have the time of your life while you’re still here!

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