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WHAT IS A WILL?
• A will is a document by which a person directs what is to be done with his or her estate after death If you don't have a will, the Tennessee Statute of Descent and Distribution directs who receives your property and in what amounts, regardless of your wishes. If no close family member is found, the estate passes to the State of Tennessee.

• Whether or not you have a will, some items may pass directly to specified parties. This includes, for example, real property or financial accounts held jointly with another, and retirement accounts or insurance with named beneficiaries.

The advantages of having a will include:
• You get to choose who receives your property and in what amounts.
• You nominate the person to wrap up your affairs.
• You may provide a trust for the support and education of your children or defer distribution of assets until they reach a more mature age.
• You can reduce the expenses of administration of your estate.
• You can plan to reduce or eliminate estate and inheritance taxes.


WHAT IS A POWER OF ATTORNEY?
A Power of Attorney is a document giving another person the authority to act for you. It may take effect immediately, or it can be drafted so as to take effect only when a specific event takes place, such as your physical and/or mental incapacity. The person whom you designate, known as an attorney-in-fact, may be authorized to act on your behalf in all matters, or alternatively in limited matters such as making health care decisions or handling certain banking or other financial matters.

WHAT IS A LIVING WILL?
A Living Will allows you to decide in advance the steps you wish hospitals and other medical providers to take to prolong your life when you are terminally ill and are no longer able to make your own decision. It enables you to determine in advance what extraordinary measures should or should not be taken to keep you alive. It focuses specifically on end-of-life situations and allows you to make your own life prolonging/pain management decisions.