OK, don't flame me. I am not on here looking for legal advice - just the experience of others...I understand that wills are governed by state law and to be valid they must be written based on the laws in the state where you "live." Just curious if anyone is aware if there is any flexibility there for full-timers?Yes, SD is where my vehicles are registered, where I am registered to vote, where I have my drivers license and where my mail goes. I have never "lived" there. I suspect that "living there" and having it as my "domicile" are likely the same legally, but wondering if that absolutely applies to wills.In doing some reading I learned a couple of things - 1) at least in SD, a will has to be SIGNED in the state. Cannot be FedExed to another state to be signed and witnessed. That is inconvenient. Also it made me realize that if my executor is a family member in TX, having to deal with probate in SD could be a burden.Just curious what solutions others have found, if any.

A living trust will bypass probate and save substantially on estate taxes.

Tom N wrote:A living trust will bypass probate and save substantially on estate taxes.X 2 In this day and age you would be foolish not to set one up....

OK, same question still applies. Would I have an option in which state that gets established. I suspect if I call an estate planning attorney in SD he will tell me it has to be done there whether it is true or not, just to get the business.Imagine that. Not trusting of lawyers!

I was told by the attorney who drafted our wills that they would remain valid as long as we were residents of the state they were signed in as of the date they were executed. I have not researched this, since we're intent on spending all our assets and have warned our kids not to expect an inheritance. :B

docj wrote:I was told by the attorney who drafted our wills that they would remain valid as long as we were residents of the state they were signed in as of the date they were executed. I have not researched this, since we're intent on spending all our assets and have warned our kids not to expect an inheritance. :BYes, I have read this same thing. However, I am needing to update mine so will have to sign somewhere.Yes, and regarding living trusts, anything I leave behind is going to charity but I don't really feel the need to spend more of my money now so they get more then. I don't think I will really care when the time comes!

Full-timing and wills (choice of state, insurance and stuff)

28 Replies

tkcas01
Explorer
Oct 03, 2013
restlesswind wrote:
Just wondering,how did this thread go from questions about wills,to discussions
about vehicle insurance?

Because the OP (ME) is trying to figure out if having a domicile in SD means having to fly there just to frickin sign a new will. If so, maybe OP (ME) might think of changing domicile to a different state. Insurance rates are one thing to consider when thinking of state of domicile.

And as discussed above, the same insurance in TX would be twice that in SD, and not chump change. As wills are part of "estate planning" I find this very relevant, especially for full-timers that need to consider all aspects of such decisions.

Sorry if my exploratory process causes you grief. Some are finding value in the discussion and we are not done yet.

BETTER YET

Changed the title of my post in the interest of détente. All happy now.
restlesswind
Explorer
Oct 03, 2013
Just wondering,how did this thread go from questions about wills,to discussions
about vehicle insurance?
Cube58
Explorer
Oct 03, 2013
I took care of this By leaving everything to a Friend of mine. Gave him my will & carry around info on me about that & in my "driveables" Also took care of the Ugly question of being 1/2 dead. Gave Him Total control over all of that & told him not to spend it on the Hospitals & me. Being the only one 'left' was simple. Pre-Paid for for my spot in the dirt & gave that to him too. All Done !!
hitchup
Explorer
Oct 03, 2013
tkcas01 wrote:
OP UPDATE
For anyone following this for information, I just got a quote for coverage in FL similar to what I have now. It was basically about the same as SD.

That's good to know. We were in MN earlier this summer and seriously thought about changing from FL to SD mostly because of lower sales tax. But decided to just stick with FL, since it's been easy to transfer tags over the last 8 years.

I didn't want to bother to get new quotes because we're upgrading the RV next month and it will all change.
TOOBOLD
Explorer
Oct 03, 2013
I would also establish a Living Trust it will make the transition easier, but do EXACTLY what the attorney tells you. You will have to re title your property under the name of the trust: cars, motorhome, home, all banks accounts, investment accounts and including oil rights to property.Your 401k, 403B and Life Insurance should have beneficiaries. We've had to learn the hard way. Just because you establish the trust does not mean you are protected unless you follow through. My father left one account not properly titled and without a beneficiary. Now we are going to Probate Court and looking at spending $10K to prove it is my mother's money.
tkcas01
Explorer
Oct 03, 2013
OP UPDATE
For anyone following this for information, I just got a quote for coverage in FL similar to what I have now. It was basically about the same as SD.
tkcas01
Explorer
Oct 03, 2013
2gypsies wrote:
tkcas01...I've sent you a PM.

Thanks so much for the PM. It looks like what is really making my rate higher is the rating basis and replacement price guarantee coverage. That means if my rig was destroyed, they'd pay out $175K - what it was worth when I bought it, plus upgrades I have added.

Knowing how these things depreciate, that sounded like a good feature back when it was only a year old. 8 years later, maybe I need to reassess that. I think I was most paranoid of a fire when I first got it - these things don't fair to well.
soos
Explorer II
Oct 02, 2013
If you need a good attorney in Livingston TX, we used R. Malcolm Jones to do our wills, trusts, etc.
he worked with our attorney in MA to get it all done and did a great job.
415 N Washington Ave
Livingston? TX? 77351
United States
+1 (936) 327-2465
2gypsies1
Explorer III
Oct 02, 2013
tkcas01...I've sent you a PM.
BarbaraOK
Explorer
Oct 02, 2013
tkcas01 wrote:
OP UPDATE

Started looking into changing residence from SD to TX.

Vehicle registration fee differences are minimal:

My Jeep: $76.50 (SD) vs $64.25 (TX)
My rig: $323 (SD) vs $340 (TX)

However, I had my insurance agent give me a quote in TX for the same full-timer policy I have in SD. THAT is significant. My policy in SD is around $2300 and for TX they want $5500. That's a deal killer there!

Are full-time policies just that expensive in TX? If not, it may be that the policy is written for replacement value, meaning they would pay me what is was worth when I bought it 7 years ago, plus contents.

Sure is way, way more than we pay. Think you need to get some more quotes.

Barb