During Make a Will Month, that’s what we want you to remember, and that’s why we asked you to share a photo of who means the most to you in our Show Your Love Photo Contest. Everybody has a reason to make a Will–whether it’s appointing a guardian for your children, making sure Fido will always have a happy home, or just to communicate your wishes–protecting your loved ones from unnecessary stress and even legal battles.

Thank you so much for sharing your reasons for making a Will: your families, pets, and the inspirations that keep you going every day.

We are excited to honor the top 14 entrants who rallied their friends to spread the word. We counted the votes, and four Grand prize winners will receive $500 cash and 10 second prize winners will receive a one year personal membership to Rocket Lawyer, so they can create a complete estate plan.*

Without further ado, here are the winners!

Grand prize winners:

 Second prize winners:

Angelyn Smith 617 votes

Ina M Angel 560 votes

Samantha Zebro 549 votes

Sapan Shah 539 votes

Jenny Rae: 458 votes

Dianne Boothe: 433 votes

Elizabeth Paddock: 432 votes

Dusan Slepcevic: 399 votes

Amanda Ruschel: 343 votes

Debbie Nubile: 284 votes

Thanks again to everyone who participated! We had so much fun looking at all of your photos.

If you’re a first time Rocket Lawyer user, you can create your Last Will for free. Just visit our Estate Planning Center and we’ll get you started on the right path.

*Winners will need to complete, electronically sign and submit a Declaration of Compliance within five (5) calendar days of the date notice or attempted notice is sent, in order to claim his/her prize.

In the spirit of doing more in less time, we’re theming this week’s post around productivity. You know, just in case the subtle title didn’t tip you off.

Netflix’s Unlimited Employee Vacation Policy; Why It Works

To compete for the best employees — and to keep those employees fitter, happier, and more productive — businesses offer perks. Some cater lunch, others give away baseball tickets, and still others, like the shipping company we talked about a few weeks back, do the simple thing and give a case of beer for a job well done. But Netflix’s perk might be the boldest we’ve seen: unlimited vacation. That’s right: unlimited. So how does it work? Employees at Netflix are responsible for getting their work done, not how much time they spend actually doing their work. While not every company can pull this sort of lenient, sky’s-the-limit vacation plan, it’s worth remembering that perks — from large to small — are an important factor in keeping your employees happy, not to mention keeping them in the long run.

Why Every Company Needs a Culture Chief

Can you take fun too seriously? According to Beryl CEO & founder Paul Spiegelman, the answer is “no.” Spiegelman went as far as to promote a boisterous and well-loved employee and give her the title “Queen of Fun and Laughter.” And while that obviously makes for the coolest business card ever, it did a whole lot more. Beryl now keeps employees longer, has a more collaborative workforce and, obviously, is just a more enjoyable place to work. Sure, not every company can afford a dedicated morale-booster, but if you ask around your office today, we bet you can find a volunteer.

Wasting Time at Work: Who Does It?

This is one of my all-time favorite infographics. Not only does it teach us who wastes time (hint: they tend to be younger and better educated), it shows both employees and business owners how to nip slacking in the bud. Perks — like the one we mentioned above — are helpful for businesses, as are contests and having an open door policy. For each of us on a personal level? Doing the “unpleasant tasks first” and having smaller time slots for jobs and meetings help us waste less time and get more down. It’s just an infographic, but it’s also a thorough and thought-provoking look at productivity, with ideas for how to actually Get Things Done (capital letters a must).

Secrets of the Most Productive People I Know

We can talk about “productivity” in the abstract all we want. But what actually makes someone productive? Perks and incentives can help, as can deadlines and accountability, but those are tactics that businesses use to get more out of their employees. What about each of us on our own, taking responsibility for our own work and our use of time? The secret may actually be doing less work. As Margaret Heffernan writes, the most productive people she knows have a life, take breaks, and get help. It’s not about sitting behind a computer screen and just chugging along. It’s about making that time more valuable.

Groupthink & the Myth of Brainstorming

Is the effectiveness of brainstorming a myth? That’s what Jonah Lehrer asks in this article on groupthink. And (spoiler alert): countless studies say “yep.” In fact, individuals often came up with more solutions than groups of people presented with the same problem. But the article isn’t a dour evisceration of teamwork—Lehrer posits better ways to work together and notes the occasions when coming up with answers on your own are preferable to throwing the question to the hive. It’s from the New Yorker, so it’s long, but it’s from the New Yorker, so you know it’s good.

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In real life, estate plans are no laughing matter.

If you’ve ever seen Brewster’s Millions or read the story of Kalu the Chimp, you know estate plans aren’t always the simplest thing in the world. And while most of us won’t be making Richard Pryor spend a million a day to get our inheritance or gifting a primate our fortune to keep our husband from getting any, it’s important to realize that a Last Will isn’t the only document you’ll need for your estate plan.

So what else might you need? Below is a list of the documents you should think about including in your estate plan. Every document might not be right for you, but understanding what each one of them does is the first step to creating a comprehensive plan to safeguard your assets for your family.

Living Trust

A trust is a great way to provide for your children. Living Trusts can be set up as “revocable” (meaning you can change or cancel them) or “irrevocable” (meaning that they’re essentially gifts that cannot be revoked unless the beneficiary consents). You can chose to give your child control of the trust when he or she turns eighteen, meaning that the trust will be available on that birthday, regardless of your situation.

Trusts have a few benefits over Wills. For starters, the assets in irrevocable trusts aren’t subject to estate taxes if they accrue value. They also are private and stay out of the probate process which can sometimes be both lengthy and costly. You must choose the specific assets you’ll include in your trust (a family heirloom, for example, or real estate).

Power of Attorney

In the event that you’re incapable of making certain decisions on your own — be they financial or health related — it’s important you fill out a Power of Attorney. This document grants certain powers to an agent (the person you choose to manage your affairs) and it’s important you choose someone you trust and provide them with specific instructions. After all, it can be an emotional and stressful role for your agent. Know your wishes will make all the difference.

Living Will

Anyone who caught last year’s Oscar nominee The Descendants knows about what a Living Will does. In it, you spell out what you’d like done in certain health instances. Commonly, this form is used to declare “do not resuscitate” (or DNR), meaning that, if your doctor has determined you cannot and will not emerge from a coma or other vegetative state, they will not keep you on life support indefinitely. Alternatively, you can choose to remain in that state if you so choose.

It’s never easy thinking about end of life legal matters. But being prepared makes sure that your beneficiaries and family know what you want and who you want ending up with your assets. Too many Americans — a majority, in fact — pass away “intestate,” a legal word for “without a will.” Making an estate plan gives you and your family an invaluable peace of mind.

Related Articles:

• Over $4,000 in Prizes Available in our Make a Will Month Photo Contest!(press.rocketlawyer.com)

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• Digital Executor: Who Will Tweet When You’re Gone? (press.rocketlawyer.com)
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Before you start the estate planning process, make sure you get informed. Domestic partnership and estate planning laws vary state to state, so consider consulting with an attorney who understands your situation and wishes. With a smart estate plan, domestic partners can choose what care they want to receive in the hospital, who they want making decisions for them, who they’d like to receive their belongings, and more.

Here are some things to consider:

Domestic Partnership Agreement

A Domestic Partnership Agreement is the first document you and your partner should complete. You can lay out how you as a couple will share income, pay bills, what property is joint property (as opposed to individually owned), and more. It’s a foundational document that will give your estate plan solid ground to stand on.

Hospital Visitation Authorization

Before January 2011, this document was a necessity for domestic partners. But with President Obama mandating that all hospitals participating in Medicaid and Medicare allow patients to see whatever visitors they choose, it’s not as mandatory as it once was. Still, it’s never bad to get your Hospital Visitation Authorization in order. After all, if the hospital doesn’t participate in Medicaid or Medicare or if you’re somehow incapable of designating visitors while there, you’ll want legal paperwork that allows your partner to visit.

Durable Power of Attorney

If you become incapacitated or can’t make otherwise make intelligent choices, who makes those decisions for you? A doctor will do his or her best, but might not have the same values as you or your partner. This is why you need a Durable Power of Attorney. You can select an agent (such as your partner) to make your health care decisions if you are incapable of doing so.

Living Will

Similar to a Durable Power of Attorney, a Living Will can specify what sort of care you want to receive if you’re incapacitated. It’s used to spell out your health care preferences and often contains provisions such as “do not resuscitate” instructions. These are choices you yourself are making, not ceding those decisions to anyone else, as you would be with a Power of Attorney.

Last Will and Testament

And of course, you’ll need a Will. Wills allow you to select who you want to receive your property, who will manage your estate, and more. Any property you don’t include in your Will is often divided by the state through intestacy and inheritance laws. That’s why having a Domestic Partnership Agreement and a detailed, specific Will is so important.

That sounds like a lot of paperwork, we know. But it’s not nearly as daunting as it seems. A good estate plan protects the ones you love from having to make hard decisions in an emotional time. Talk it over with your partner and choose what’s right for you. You’ll be happy you did.

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Nearly everyone makes their Will to take care of their loved ones - submitted by Jill Kathan

A year ago, Rocket Lawyer commissioned a survey. We learned that 57% of Americans did not have a Will. So we set out to get Americans protected, offering free wills, estate plans, and estate planning lawyers who could help anyone look out for their businesses, assets, and most importantly, families.

This past year? That number’s down to 50%.

While that’s a great improvement and while we’re thrilled that more and more of us are taking care of our estate plans, we believe that every single American should have an estate plan.

Everyone should have a Will, but we all have our own reasons why. This is part of the reason we launched our Photo Contest: we wanted to know your reason for making a Will. What’s important to you? Who’s important to you? Is it your children, your business, making sure your precious heirlooms go to who will cherish them most?

The contest is still going on and we’d love it if you took part. We’re giving away over $4,000 in prizes and all you need to do is show us what’s important to you.

Click here to join in.

To get you in the spirit, here’s a sampling of the people (and pets!) that are the reasons our users made a Will.

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• Rocket Lawyer’s Estate Planning Center (rocketlawyer.com)

That’s why this week, we’re focusing on improvement. From laying out smarter emails to increasing the reach of your social media arms, here’s what caught our eye over the past seven days:

5 Tips to Becoming a Top Blog in Your Industry

If a tree falls in the forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound? Not to ruin that Zen koan, but technically, yes, it makes a sounds. It just doesn’t change anyone’s perception. Likewise, if you’re blogging and no one is around to read it, does it make an impact? The answer to this one is “nope.” If you’re spending your valuable time on a company blog but your readership numbers are non-existent, you’re not making the best use of your day. But how exactly can you get readers? Quality helps, of course, but here are five great tips to improve your reach, and ultimately, help your business succeed.

7 Ways to Screw Up a New Employee

We’ve all been The New Guy. You dress a little too well, come in thirty minutes early, and nod attentively at everything you’re told. But the way each company deals with The New Guy is different. Some parade will parade the employee around, make them meet everyone, fill out their W-4 and, essentially squander the first few days. Others just throw The New Guy into the water with a message of “sink or swim.” Neither of these approaches are all that great. Learn how to onboard your brand new hire effectively, professionally, and with a nice dose of friendliness. Those first few weeks can really make all the difference.

Inside “The Hunger Games” Social Media Machine

If you haven’t heard of the Hunger Games, you should really think about leaving your hibernaculum. Susan Collins’ young adult series is the number one book, movie, and album in America and we’re just getting started. It’s a trilogy, after all, and the mania over the dystopian saga figures to balloon after the massive and concrete success of its inaugural trip to the box office. But Hunger Games movie didn’t just succeed because of three well plotted novels. In fact, the marketing of the movie and, especially, its use of Social Media turned Hunger Games from a “strong bet into a blockbuster.” Thankfully, the tips aren’t just applicable to Panem; they’re good enough to help your business increase its reach.

A Non-Designer’s Guide to Typefaces and Layout

Not all of us are designers and some small businesses, especially when they’re just getting off the ground, can’t afford a freelancer either. That doesn’t mean that you have to scramble around in the darkness though. This nifty Lifehacker article explains how to use fonts and typefaces to get your message across, whether that message is a direct marketing email, the vibe of your website, or, for the job-seekers out there, a classy resume. And while you might realize that Comic Sans is roundly considered a hideous visual scourge by the design world, there’s a ton of less obvious (and more useful) info in here.

The Largest Private Companies in the U.S.

When we think of Big Companies (capital B, capital C), we think of publicly traded international businesses. Folks like Apple and Ford and G.E., the big players in the biggest industries. But if you think every Big Company is on the NYSE, you thought wrong. Companies with tens of billions in revenue remain private and, in doing so, escape some of the bureaucracy, oversight, and compliance issues faced by their more scrutinized competitors. And while our previous four stories might not get your company included in this list of the most massively successful companies in America, it can certainly get you a few steps closer.

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In fact, there are millions of Americans with trust funds and millions of parents out there setting one up for their children. And many business owners utilize trusts to keep their companies from falling into the wrong hands and to minimize estate taxes when passing business assets to their heirs.

Trusts can be a smart way to shield certain assets from the costly (and sometimes heavily taxed) probate process, though it’s important to note that wills and trusts are different documents with different purposes.

Here’s what you need to know to make your kid a trust fund baby:

What Can You Put in Your Child’s Trust Fund?

Trusts are pretty flexible. Typically, you can include real estate, the cash in certain bank accounts, insurance policies, jewelry, and even your business assets. While a Will covers all property you own, in a trust, you must actively note what property you’re including in the trust. If you want your family home or that old Mustang you love included in your trust fund, you have to designate that.

What Sort of People Set Up Trusts?

There was a time when trusts were mostly for the very wealthy. That’s not really the case any longer. More and more Americans are setting up trusts every year and you certainly don’t have to think of a trust as something your child will live off for the rest of their life. Instead, think of it as part of your estate plan, a way to give your child something. Since trusts aren’t tied up in probate, you can rest assured that your children will receive their trust soon after your passing (or during your life, if you’ve decided to set up a living trust) without the hassle or public nature of the probate process.

Sometimes we don’t realize just how many assets we have. Just because you’re not living high on the hog doesn’t mean you don’t have plenty to pass down. This goes double for small business owners.

What if You Own a Small Business?

Trusts. They're not just for Rich Uncle Pennybags

Your company or your ownership share of a company can often be included in your trust. This is an especially important point for family-owned businesses, as over 70% of them don’t make it to the second generation. Since you can maintain control over the business while you’re alive and, since trusts don’t go through the probate process, you can transfer your ownership share much more smoothly and avoid onerous estate taxes by utilizing a trust.

If you own a share of a company (as opposed to the entire thing), things get a little more complicated. Before setting up a trust, you and your co-owners will want to create a Buy-Sell Agreement so you agree on the ownership transfer rules for your business. After all, you wouldn’t want your co-owner to pass his share on to someone you’d hate to work with. Have a frank discussion with your business partners about heirs and make sure everyone’s on the same page about the future of your company.

Whether you own your business outright or with partners, setting up a trust for your business assets also helps you avoid family disputes and allows you to appoint a professional who’s versed in these matters. They can help navigate the process with your business heirs to keep your company running smoothly during the transfer. It’s always a good idea to talk to an attorney to make sure you’ve covered all of your bases.

When Can Your Child Use His or Her Trust?

Generally, a child can access their trust at the age of eighteen. It is sometimes possible to create different age restrictions, but the default is that a child can use their trust once they’ve become a legal adult.

When Should You Tell Your Child About His or Her Trust?

If you set up a living trust (or if your parents set up a trust for your child), you should know there’s no legal requirement to tell your child at any certain time. After all, it’s not as if your eight year-old is going to understand the ins and outs of an estate plan. If you choose you could tell your child that he or she has a little something put away in an account that they can access when they’re eighteen. It can give you peace of mind if your child is thinking about college and you can start teaching them about managing money early on.

One of our Facebook contest entries (and about the most adorable thing you'll see today)

In the end, setting up a trust is a personal choice. Do you want to see you children enjoy their trust while you’re alive? Do you have a special item you want to transfer? Do you want to keep part of your estate plan private? Do you want to make sure your small business legacy is preserved for future generations?

Only you can answer these questions. But if the answer to any of the above is “yes,” a Trust can help you make that a reality.

But don’t forget: a Trust is just a part of a complete estate plan and every estate plan should start with your Will. April is Make a Will Month here at Rocket Lawyer and we want to hear what’s important to you. You can enter our Facebook contest for a chance to win $500 or a complete estate plan, one that includes everything you need to make your child a trust fund baby and take care of the people and things that matter. Directions to sign up can be found right here, and we hope to hear from you!

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He might be too young now, but it's never too soon to start thinking about who'll run your business when you're gone

If you’re like most small business owners, you never stop working. Nights? Weekends? Vacations? Those are just excuses to work in a different setting. After all, running your own business is a 365 day a year job unless it’s this year, when it’s a 366 day a year job.

Of course, you have to step away from the job now and again. Sure, you might be frantically checking your Blackberry at the pool, but you’ve at least tried your hand at relaxing. And with it that hard to take a little breather, the question becomes: “If leaving for a couple days is tough, what happens when you’re no longer around to run your business?”

Just like you need an estate plan to protect your family, you also need an estate plan to protect your business.

There are different strategies to do this, depending on the way your business is formed. Sole Proprietorships are different than Partnerships; LLCs are different than S-Corporations.

Generally, however, you can break it down like this: whether you’re the only owner of the business or whether you have partners. We’ll look at businesses with co-owners first, followed by sole proprietorships and family businesses. Then we’ll look at how Trusts can help you avoid the probate process when transferring your business assets.

Businesses with Multiple Owners

The most important document you and your co-owners can have is a Buy-Sell Agreement. A Buy-Sell Agreement is sometimes referred to as a “business prenup” or a “business will” in that it spells out what will happen should one owner want to leave (a business divorce, if you will) or passes away.

Thankfully, Buy-Sell Agreements are fairly flexible. You can set them up so your co-owners can buy your shares in the business or set up an heir that all the owners agree on. Perhaps you have a child fully capable of stepping in. If your co-owners agree, his name can be included in the Buy-Sell.

Often times, co-owners will each have life insurance policies which take care of some of the costs. If you name your co-owners (in addition to your family) as beneficiaries, that liquid cash they receive can help with death taxes and the complicated matters associated with ownership transfer.

Businesses with Just One Owner

If you have a sole proprietorship or own a family business, you realize that the business runs because you run the business. Without your stewardship, it crumbles. So how do you make sure it continues after you’re gone?

One way is delegating a successor. In many states, this can be done in your Will, and you want to make certain that your successor, whether that’s a family member or close friend, understands you’re passing the business to them when you’re gone. Get a good estate planning attorney for this. You’re great at running your business, but distributing assets or your business as a whole to an heir or successor is fraught with complications. Consulting a professional will save everyone a massive headache.

Using a Trust

For either sole owners or co-owners, a Trust can be the best way to keep your business going after you’re gone. Trusts don’t go through the probate process, and, since that process can be costly and lengthy, putting your business assets in a trust is a great way to keep it running smoothly through what will be a difficult time for your family.

Also, Trusts can be set up activate before you pass away. You can start transferring ownership early, spell out your wishes in case you’re incapacitated, and avoid some of the estate taxes that can make asset transfer onerous for your heirs. Trusts are generally more complicated than wills though. You have to be much more specific about which particular assets you’re transferring, and it’s recommended you set up a Trust with the help of a seasoned Estate Planning Lawyer.

No matter if you own your business yourself or with partners, you’ll also want to speak with an accountant. The IRS has tax breaks in sections 6166 and 303 that help with death and estate taxes, taxes which can be ruinous to the continued life and success of your business.

Remember: your estate plan isn’t just for you and your family. It’s to protect what you’ve built during your life.

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How to Motivate Employees with “Outside the Box” Thinking

When Victor Lipman was 23, he loaded trucks for a living. As anyone who has ever performed exacting but repetitive work can attest, mistakes get made, and Lipman’s job was no exception. The wrong packages ended up on the wrong trucks and the days lost on the delivery route translated into money lost for his employer. Management attempted fixes, but to no avail. Then, they struck upon an exceedingly simple solution: if Lipman and his partner didn’t mess up, they’d get a case of free beer. “Suddenly loaders worked with new diligence and fervor,” he writes, all the while reminding us that the most obvious (and cheapest) rewards for your employees can be the most effective incentives.

Sausage v. Meatballs: A Study in Startups

Inc. Magazine brings us a tale of two similar eateries with two completely different outcomes. The first is Currywurst Bros., a successful German sausage chain that opened its first American franchise in New York. They sprung for a nice facade and a great location. They shuttered their doors in less than a year. The second business is Meatball Obsession, a hole in the wall with one menu item (meatballs, naturally) in branded paper cup. They’re a new company, but Meatball Obsession has a much better chance of success. Learning why could give you great insights into the slender line between success and failure.

The Dirty Little Secret of Overnight Successes

And now, video games. Well, not exclusively video games, but this piece does touch on the mobile gaming Angry Birds that we’d bet is probably on the device in your pocket right now. From Rovio’s mind bogglingly successful app to the Dyson vacuum cleaner to Pinterest, we learned that overnight success is, well, rarely overnight success. The Angry Birds maker had over 50 failed games before their hit; Dyson had over 5,000 failed prototypes. It’s a reminder that behind every success are hiccups, missteps, and failure, and that best small business owners take those as lessons, not discouragements.

Phone Customers Ditch Their Carriers Faster than Ever

We all know the drill: you want a nice new phone, so you lock yourself into a nice new contract. But as competition increases and the most desirable phones become available on a wide array of networks, cell phone companies are seeing their customers stick around for shorter and shorter periods of time. What none of them seem to agree on is how to keep their customers and whether the subsidized phone model is still a winner in the age of smart phones.

JOBS Act a “Game Changer”

 We end with news that’s being greeted with smiles across the small business landscape: the JOBS Act. Standing for “Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act,” the law has the delightful distinction of passing both houses of Congress with glowing bipartisan support (amazing, we know) and was signed into law by the President just yesterday. The goal? To give small businesses the ability to raise capital, find investors, and participate in “crowdfunding.” And while those companies are getting an influx of cash, they’ll hopefully be hiring, providing the jobs the bill’s name inherently promises. You’ll read a lot about the “who won” the issue in the press, but for us, the big takeaway is some real government cooperation that aims to help real people run real businesses. Let’s hope it’s just the start.

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You can choose anyone as a digital executor. Any human, that is. We don't need anymore LOLCATs in this world.

When we think of wills and trusts, we think about our assets, the family home, and what happens to grandma’s jewelry. It’s been that way for years, that we address our physical belongings in our estate plan so that what we own ends up with who we want to own it after we’re gone.

Of course, times are changing. Now, in addition to bequeathing your actual property, you should make you take care of your digital property.

We know. It sounds silly. But there are plenty of reasons to make arrangements for your email account, your computer files, your social network accounts and more.

Say, for example, you’ve got a well-establish Twitter account. Say you use it for business. What happens when you’re no longer around? Do you want it shut down or passed to your business partner or family?

What about your emails, the modern day version of correspondence? Some of us are lucky enough to have the letters sent by our elders, written in meticulous hand, back and forth for decades. We can read them to get a better idea of who these people really were, what they valued, the experiences they had. Aren’t our email addresses the same thing?

Or take your music library. If you had all your favorite albums on vinyl, wouldn’t you make sure that a music lover you were close to would get those records? If all your music is digital, what happens to it then?

You can control what happens to your assets when you're gone. Even digital ones.

All these questions can be answered in your Will by including a Digital Executor. This person doesn’t need to be the same as a typical executor, but they certainly can be. A Digital Executor is in charge of your digital life and can be instructed to delete, transfer, save, back up, download, or continue using your assets when you’re gone. If you’ve already got a Will, you can create a Codicil that deals only with your digital assets.

Another option is to use a Digital Asset Trust. This option not only allows you to name who gets control of your digital property when you’re gone, but it also lets you tap someone to manage your assets if you become incapacitated.

Thinking about who’d control your email even ten years ago might have been, well, unthinkable. But we all know things are different. Rocket Lawyer has recently updated its Will to include a section for selecting a digital executor so you can keep make sure you’ve taken care of everything.

After all, your digital assets are important. It’s everything on your computer and everything in the cloud associated with you. Those assets are part of your legacy. Make sure you take care of them by including a digital executor in your Will or by creating a Digital Asset Trust.

Related links

• Complete Will with Digital Assets Provision (rocketlawyer.com)
• Codicil to Will (rocketlawyer.com)
• Digital Asset Trust (rocketlawyer.com)