“But I don’t need a will.”

This is by far the number one reason people don’t sit down with an estate planner. The thinking goes, “I don’t own a home, I am not super wealthy, therefore a will is not for me because I don’t have an estate!” However, the better question to ask yourself when you’re considering an estate plan is, “what do I have?” Do you have children? Do you have pets? Do you have a car? Do you have clothes? Do you have mementos or family keepsakes? Do you support a favorite charity or church? These may all be aspects of your estate plan. You also have to consider that if something were to happen to you, who would make your medical or financial decisions? Typically, without an estate plan in place, your next of kin would be legally entitled to make these decisions. So if you’re married then it’s your spouse, and separation is not divorce. If you’re single, then your closest relation, which could be a parent, sibling, grandparent, and well you get the picture. Now, is your next of kin a person who you would trust to handle your money or make medical choices for you? Are they even aware of your belief systems or desires if you needed them to act on your behalf? A basic estate plan will include tools that can give you peace of mind about these questions and don’t leave them up for debate. These legal tools allow your family and friends to know your wishes on all of these matters and will guide them in how they should proceed if anything happened to you. Preparing the plan just gives you the opportunity to lead the decision making about your own life.