Your Estate: Don’t Assume it Will All Be Figured Out

The topic of completing your will might give you some nerves because you don’t want to think about when you’re no longer around or because the process overwhelms you and you don’t know where to start.

Too many people make this costly mistake of assuming that things will be figured out by their relatives or the state after they pass away. While it’s true that the state’s laws on passing on assets without a will do indeed kick in, this can leave behind a real mess for your family.

Those verbal promises you made to one family member about taking an heirloom could explode into a fight between siblings or relatives who want to claim ownership. Without a written document, it falls to the courts.