You generally hear about wills in the media when celebrities (like Prince or Amy Winehouse) die without one and people begin to wonder what will happen with their estate. Or, consider one of my favorite movies, The Grand Budapest Hotel: After an elderly rich woman dies, a late addendum to her will is found bequeathing a famous art piece to someone outside the family. The rest of the movie is spent with characters fighting over who will receive that art piece. These situations may make for an entertaining diversion, but wills are not just for the rich and famous. Wills are for everyone.
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Estate Planning for Everyone
After my husband Tyler’s accident last year, one of my first thoughts was: We don’t have a will. We’re both young and healthy, so it had never risen to the top of our to-do list. As I contemplated how quickly things could have turned out differently, the questions started to pop up. Like, all of our joint-owned property would come to me, but what about the things my spouse owned separately? And, what if we were both killed in a car accident — then what would happen?