I have heard people say, “I have a Will, I made it a long time ago.” Since they already have a will, they don’t need to think any further about their estate.
Some people assume that if they made their will once, they never have to think about it again. Let me ask: “Do you know anyone whose life hasn’t changed in the past 5 or 10 years?”
Life happens. People get married. People have kids. Kids grow up, get married and have kids of their own. People get divorced and remarried and have second families. People get sick and die. Some people do well financially and others don’t. No matter how much life appears to stay the same, it constantly changes.
Which brings us to that will that you already have. A will is a snapshot of one place and time. It accounts for the assets you had at that time and leaves them to the people who were in your life then. But today isn’t then. Old wills need to be revisited to reflect your life today!
Here are a few of the things that may have changed since you last updated your will.
Named Estate Trustees
- Do you still want the person you listed to handle your estate?
- If you selected someone because your children were very young, is that the case today? Perhaps one of your children should be trustee.
- Are you still friends with the person you selected?
- Do you have current contact information for the person you listed?
- Are they still interested and committed?
- Do they know your current situation and concerns?
Your Estate
- Are you worth more (or less) than the last time you made a Will? The size of your estate affects many of your decisions.
Special Needs
- Are there special needs that must be addressed?
- Are you currently responsible for anyone who is disabled such as a child or parent
- Are you concerned about a beneficiary who might use your bequest in ways that would displease you?
Inclusivity
- Were all of your children even born when you made the last Will?
- Is there anyone else in your life who should be considered who was not there when you wrote your last will?
- Has anyone left your life?
- Is there another generation in existence today that did not exist when you made that last Will?
- Are there any relatives, friends or charities that you might want to leave a gift to who are not mentioned in that last Will?
Details
- Are you still satisfied with the ages that you set for when younger beneficiaries will receive their inheritance?
Changes in the Law
- Have there been any changes in the law that might affect your bequests?
A Will is presumed to express your true wishes. How can that be, if it has not been reviewed and brought up to date for so many years. In some ways, having an old Will is worse than having no Will at all. Therefore, I urge to take that old Will out of mothballs, familiarize yourself with its contents again and take action to have it updated if necessary .