Many people who don’t have a lot of money find themselves thinking about wills this way: “if I don’t have a lot of money, what does it matter if I have one or not? It’s not like people will be fighting for my wealth after I’m gone.” But this thought leads to procrastination, laziness, and ultimately inaction - and that’s not the kind of attitude you want to have when it comes to your estate. Even if your estate is not as large as others’.

But good wills are important for people whether their personal fortunes are large or small. Why? Because a will tells everyone you leave behind exactly what you want to have done with your estate. It lets the lawyers know how to proceed, and it makes everything smoother for the people who will be mourning you the most. If that’s not reason enough to do your will right, we don’t know what is.

How do you do a will right? Well, there are a number of options you have at your disposal. The most obvious option is to consult with a lawyer who has done a number of wills in the past - they’re able to make sure your will has the necessary language in it so as to please the courts who interpret your will after you’re gone. There are ways to find will forms online and handle the process yourself, although it’s generally recommended that you get the in-person touch of a lawyer so you can fully customize what your will ultimately looks like.

It’s also important that you have full knowledge of all the assets you control and own. Your retirement income, your assets, your real estate, your property - all of that will need to be included in some way or another because a comprehensive will is generally a good will. The more the will handles, the less the legal process will have to handle after you’re gone - and that’s a direct benefit to the people you leave behind.

Making sure your will fits your specifications also gives you more control over your own property - in other words, you get to decide what happens to what. For many people, they couldn’t care less about what happens to their “stuff” after they’re gone. But when you consider the perspective that your family will care, you start to see the importance of it. And if you do really have some possessions you want to see live on in your family, such as handed-down antiques, it’s important that you include these possessions in your will and spell out what is to be done with them.

Having a good, comprehensive will is important no matter how much property you have - and is even more important as your estate grows. It’s important, therefore, to keep an eye on what happens to your property after you’re gone while you’re still around to have a say in it!