I've put it off but am feeling like I should get this taken care of pronto. You never know, right? This could be it for me.
I don't mean to be pessimistic, but it's something I haven't gotten around to and feel like I better not put it off any longer.
First off, you are tough as nails and you are going to be essential to our site for many, MANY years to come
You are staying right hereπ
Second, No
I have no will, the thought of sitting down with my wife and a lawyer freaks me out!
I have decided that I'll just live forever, it might get exhausting at some point though
Yep, I'm a little freaked out too, but the older I get, the more I realize that I really should do it. I don't want to leave my children in a mess. Which is also why I'm doing my best to get rid of stuff I no longer need. Having dealt with the heaps of stuff my parents left behind when they passed, I don't want to leave my children with that burden. It's bad enough to deal with loss, but to have to clean up what's left behind too, is even worse. It's my gift to my children - leaving things as tidy as possible.
shareYou have a good heart and good intentions, that's why you are so dear to us
I'm going to leave a huge mess for my kids to clean up, serves them rightπ
Yes... you never know
shareIM 38 AND UNTIL RECENTLY IVE BEEN SIX AND HALF FEET TALL AND BULLETPROOF...AFTER MY FIRST HOSPITAL STAY AND SURGERY...A WILL IS MUCH MORE PRESENT IN MY THOUGHTS NOW.
shareYes, we got ours done when we got married, then updated it when Miss King arrived. We have an in house Will writing service at my Financial Consultancy, so I had no excuse.
My advice, get it done by a professional - once itβs done itβs done - one less thing to worry about.
I honestly don't have enough to be concerned about, and if my family can't figure it out without fighting then they deserve to be miserable.
shareOf course. God gave everyone free will.
shareNot a will, but everything is set up in a trust.
shareNo, but by virtue of the laws of intestacy everything (as it were) would go to my sister, which is fine with me as I am unmarried with no kids.
shareSince all estates must go through the probate process (with or without a will), having one speeds up the probate process and tells the court how youβd like your estate divided. Otherwise, the court decides, which can cause unnecessary delays.
shareThe court follows the laws of intestacy. In Minnesota, for example (scroll down to Who Gets What in Minnesota?)
https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/intestate-succession-minnesota.html
A court would have no authority to give anything to anyone other than my sister (assuming she's alive). As to speeding up the process, I'm not even sure how true that is for a single person with one heir. It may very well be, and at some point I may get one.
EDIT: I would add that an estate doesn't necessarily have to go though probate. My grandmother's estate wasn't probated because she set up a living trust. All my parents assets were held jointly, and my dad's 401k named my mother as the beneficiary. So mom didn't have to go through probate when dad passed.
EDIT: No matter what, if my sister pre-deceases me, I wouldn't want my assets to go to cousins I've never been close with or escheat (go to the State). I'd rather it go to charities of my choosing. In that case I very much would want to have a will.