3 Practical Reasons You Should Make A Will
Posted on: 5 October 2022
Making a will is very important, whether you want to prevent family arguments and stress or simply want to lay out instructions for your funeral. This guide explains exactly why you should make a will.
Avoid Family Arguments After Your Death
If you die without a will, your family will have a lot to work out between themselves. This can cause a lot of added stress at an already stressful time, leading to arguments and resentment. As well as perhaps being shocked or confused about who will inherit your assets, they will also have no guidance about who should deal with paperwork, what type of funeral you would like and what they should do with your body. If you want proceedings to go smoothly for your loved ones after you die, making a will is a great way to achieve this.
Divide Up Your Assets The Way You Want
The legislation on what happens when someone dies without a will varies by state, but as MetLife explains, property and assets are usually divided up between your spouse and children. However, this may not be what you want to happen. For example, you might want a cousin to inherit money, or you may want the house to go to one of your three children. There may be close relatives who you don't want to inherit or certain ways that you want your property to be divided up. You may even want to give all of your money to charity. However, if you don't make a will, everything will be divided up in the default way, which is not suitable for every family and situation. Make sure you have a will so that your assets can be divided in a way that suits you.
Decide Who Will Deal With Your Affairs
Creating a will isn't just about giving away property, and you should still make a will even if you don't own a home or have a lot of money. In your will, you can specify other things, such as who will inherit your dog, who should look after your children and even who will make the funeral arrangements. If you have strong feelings about any of these things, they should be in your will. You could also insert information about your funeral — for example, whether you want to be cremated or buried, and any other requests that are really important to you.
Making a will can really put your mind at rest, and ensure your assets are divided in a way that suits you. To get started, get in touch with a lawyer familiar with wills to discuss your options.
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