What Does a Will Do?

Functions of a Will

In addition to letting you custom tailor the distribution of your assets, a Will can perform these additional functions:

• Allow your executor to serve without the expense of posting a bond and/or without trusting the Estate's money to a lawyer's trust account
  If you die without a Will a relative can apply to be the administrator, and the relative will not have to post a bond if the application states that all funds collected will be held in the probate attorney's trust account.
  
  But if the Will names an Executor to serve without bond, the Executor has the option of either using our trust account, OR setting up their own special estate account. The advantage of setting up a special estate account is that this account can interest for the estate. However, whether the trouble of doing so is worth whatever interest the bank will pay depends on the size of the estate, how long money will be held by the esate and what interest rate the bank will pay.  The Nevada State Bar claims the interest on all law firm trust accounts.
• Contain A Testamentary Trust
  For example, parents with young children can specify who would hold their money for their minor children if the parents die while the children are still minors. The parents could also specify at what age the children would get the money. Without such a "testatmentary trust" provision, the minor children would get all of their money at age 18.
• Express Desires As To Who Will Raise Any Children Before They Become Adults
  A Will is an appropriate place for parents of minor children to express their desires as to who will raise the children if they die before the children become adults. The issue of who has control of minor children is always determined by the "best interests of the children" standard, but a Court in trying to decide what is in the best interest of the children may be strongly influenced by what the now dead parents wrote in their Will.
• Possibly Avoid a Transfer Tax When The Property Owner Dies
  When ownership of real estate is transferred from one person to another all of the Nevada counties impose a real estate transfer tax unless certain exceptions are met. The two relevant exceptions for this discussion are:

1. There is no tax if the transfer is between parent and child or between spouses, and
2. There is no tax due if the transfer is by will. (A Trust also acconplishes this,)

So, if the people who would inherit without a will are not spouses or children or parents, transferring by the will is one way to avoid a transfer tax when the owner dies.