I recently learned from an acquaintance about a will that is causing disaster in several families. The will had a simple error, and as a result, things are guaranteed to get pretty ugly before they get sorted out. This is a textbook case for why you shouldn’t write your own will.

“Be careful about reading health books. You may die of a misprint,” said Mark Twain. He had a keen perception of everyday life, which he observed with great humor. And most of his observations were right on the money. What would really happen if a misprint in a medical book or health magazine caused injury or death? Most likely, there would be a lawsuit by the injured person, or their family. Most of us believe, deep in our souls, that someone should pay for mistakes when it comes to our health and well-being.

Editor's note: This is an ongoing series by Christopher Heritage and BottomLine Magazine, explaining how the Superior Court system works. To read Part I of the series, click HERE.

According to the Humane Society of the United States, 39% of U.S. households have at least one dog and 33% have at least one cat.

Together we own more than 77 million dogs and 93 million cats! Then there are the 12 million birds and 7 million horses, together with our tropical fish, ferrets, hamsters, gerbils, guinea pigs, lizards, snakes, turtles…you get the picture. We really love our pets.