Wills

A will is something that many young people don’t think about. Why bother, you won’t need one for a long time. Hopefully. While no one likes to dwell on things like death and what will happen after they’re gone, now that you’re growing up you shouldn’t avoid planning for it.

You can take strange comfort knowing that you’re not alone. Around 70% of all Americans don’t have a will. But without a will, where will your assets go and how can you be sure your loved ones are taken care of? You can’t.

The Basics

A basic will is simple and affordable. You can either write one yourself, use the many online software programs available or have an attorney draw one up. No matter how you create your will, you’ll need to gather the following information:

• Your assets – a list of your financial assets and possessions
   
• You debts – every credit card, loan and other debts
   
• Guardian – if you have children, they will raise them in your place
   
• Executor – the person who’s going to carry out the terms of your will
   
• Trustee – the person who will manage your estate

If you choose, the guardian, executor and trustee can all be the same person or a combination of people. You’ll want to have two or more choices for each in case the people you’ve chosen cannot fulfill their duties for some reason.