Why You Need a Will: Ten Great Reasons

You know you need a will.  You’ve managed to put estate planning off for years.  Not because it wasn’t important, but other things were your priority.   Like getting the kids to soccer practice.  Or making it to work on time.

When is it a good time to talk to a Massachusetts lawyer about a will and  estate planning?

A better question is: seriously, when isn’t it a good time?  When you get married?  Good time to get a will or update one.  When you have a child or adopt a child?  That’s a great time to put a will in place.  When you blend a family?  You probably don’t need a lawyer to tell you a will is a good idea in that situation.  When you are living with a partner but you are unmarried? That should be an easy one.  Many people think about estate planning when they are going off on an extended vacation.  You’re going to have a great time, right?  But there is this nagging feeling that as great as this vacation will be, just about anything could happen. It shouldn’t just be that vacation that gets you thinking about a will and other estate planning?

Great Reasons to consider a will and estate planning in Massachusetts

1.  You want to decide who will inherit and how your assets will be distributed.  When you die without a will, you have died “intestate.”  When you die intestate, you have essentially said:  “I will let the state decide who will inherit from me.”  
2. You don’t want your heirs to deal with the hassle and uncertainty of an extended probate court proceeding.
3. You want say over who will take care of your children.  Guardianship of your children.  Need I say more?
4. You worry that if your children inherit at a young age, they won’t have the maturity to handle it.
5. You have valuables such as paintings, jewelry, china, family antiques or other goods that you want to give to a particular friend or family member.  Or you have items that have sentimental value that you want to leave to someone.
6. You have a beloved pet that would need care if you died.  You don’t want to see that pet end up in a shelter.
7. You don’t have a lot of money put away, but you have really specific concerns or plans that should be addressed.
8. You have adopted a child or children and want to plan for their future care and/or education.
9. You want to make provisions to care for a vulnerable or disabled family member or friend.
10. You have specific ideas about the amount of medical intervention you would want at the end of your life.

If you have questions about wills and trusts and estate planning in Massachusetts, call Maura Greene, Law Office of Maura Greene LLC.  Maura Greene was named in 2012 by the Boston Globe and Fortune Magazine as one of Boston’s top-rated attorneys.  She has been recognized as a Super Lawyer.  She may be reached at 617–936–1580.