We don't like to think about it but someday all of the things that we have accumulated over our lifetime will need to be distributed to other people. If you don't have a written will, the state will decide how your assets will be divided. The following things should be included in your will:

• Who inherits your property. All of your physical assets should be listed, along with their approximate value. Then state who gets what, when they get it and in what form.
  
• If you are responsible for minor children, name a guardian to care for them and a trustee to oversee their financial interests.
  
• What happens if you are incapacitated. You should fill out both a Living Will and a Durable Power of Attorney for Healthcare as well as a Power of Attorney for financial matters so that someone you trust will have the legal authority to make decisions on your behalf.
  
• Name an executor or a trustee to administer your will. This person will take care of settling your estate.
  
• Specify what you want donated to charity. Your estate can receive a charitable deduction for state and federal tax purposes for the full fair market value of a gift.
  

According to a 2003 Federal Trade Commission (FTC) report, identity theft has affected more than 27 million Americans in the past five years and is getting worse. In 2002, nearly 10 million people, or 4.6% of the population, reported having been the victim of identity theft, either through new credit card accounts opened in their names or by thieves who gained access to their existing accounts. On average, thieves collected $10,200 worth of goods, money or services when opening a fraudulent new account.
Here are some tips to guard against identity theft:

• Promptly remove mail from your mailbox.
  
• Never leave receipts at bank machines, bank counters, public trash cans or unattended gasoline pumps.
  
• Shred pre-approved credit card offers before discarding them.
  
• When making an ATM transaction, block the screen and keyboard with your body.
  
• Memorize your Social Security number and all of your passwords. Do not record them on any cards or items in your purse or wallet.
  
• When writing a check for a credit card payment, do not write the entire account number on the check. Instead, just use the last

four numbers.

• Never have your Social Security number printed on your checks.
  
• If your credit cards are stolen, immediately call the three credit bureaus and request that a "fraud alert" be placed on your name and Social Security number. Keep these numbers handy: