July 31, 2019

So you don’t want to sit down and draft a will- or maybe even make the appointment with your attorney. If this is you, you’re not alone.

Numerous studies have undertaken the question of who has a will and other key estate planning tools in place to protect them in case of a sudden accident or incident. Lexis Nexis says that 55% of adults have no plan for the transfer of assets when they die or a legal will. That number spikes even higher among African Americans and Hispanics. You might anticipate that those with higher incomes are more likely to have an estate plan pulled together. However, one recent study found that people who had incomes of between $100,000 and $149,000 had a will less than 10% of the time.

Although that number spikes to 15% for those who had an income that goes beyond $150,000, not having a will can expose your loved ones to unnecessary challenges. Not having a will could mean that your loved ones have to go to a court proceeding known as probate.

This can become more complicated and lead your loved ones to face challenges they didn’t need to if you had sat down with an experienced lawyer. There’s no doubt that answering questions about your future and especially about your own mortality can be difficult, but they also aren’t questions you want to leave behind for your loved ones to handle in a time when they are grieving.