Do you have a will? You should have a will!

Patrick Rhone writes, in If You’re a G@d D%&m Adult, You Should Have A F*^K*&#g Will, about why we should all have an up to date will:

Look, it’s simple. If you are over the age of 18, you should have a will and all of the other important legal documents (medical directives, power of attorney, etc).

You should for sure have one if you have any assets over a thousand dollars. You absolutely should have one if you have kids.

I remain gobsmacked at the number of people who don’t.

I’m actually somewhat angry at those in their  60’s, 70’s, 80’s (i.e. My parents — too many other Boomers. It always seems to be the Boomers) who don’t.

Look, I understand. You think you always have tomorrow. You think you’ll put it on the list and get around to it. You think you’re in good health so why bother. You think it’s too complicated. You have a million other excuses…

And they’re all bullshit.

He’s right.

Catherine and I first had wills drafted after Olivia was born, and we kept them updated over the years as our circumstances changed.

As a result, when Catherine died in 2000, one of the things I didn’t need to sort out—and there were a lot of things to sort out—was that. Catherine’s wishes were clear. Our lawyer understood them. I understood them. It was a small relief when small reliefs had an outsized impact. 

Patrick goes on to relate some stories that, if you don’t have a will, I hope will spur you to action.

Since Catherine died, I’ve updated my will again. My lawyer is clear that it can be—should be—a living document, not a “set it and forget it.” But even a “set it and forget it” will is something.

 (While you’re at it, if you have people who depend on you for money and/or labour, you should have life insurance too. Realizing that I didn’t have to pay back a burgeoning line of credit when Catherine died, because we had it life insured, was another outsized relief.)