Parenting often requires you to make important choices. What school will you send your kid to? How much screen time will you allow them? What will their punishment be for drawing on the wall again (this one comes up more times than it should)?
Among those significant decisions is one that people don’t like to think about much: what will happen to your kid if you pass away? Understandably, it’s a possibility that makes people uncomfortable. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t think about it.
Every parent needs a contingency plan in place in the event that you aren’t around to care for your young ones. In this post, let’s explore how to make those plans with a will. What is a will, and why does every mom and dad need one?
What Is a Will?
A will is a legal document outlining your wishes for when you pass away. Among other things, it details where you want your money, property and possessions to go. It also allows you to appoint a trustee, or trustees, to settle your affairs.
Right, you might be wondering, but that really only affects older adults, right? That’s not the case. For starters, unexpected illnesses and accidents can happen to anyone. Secondly, a will doesn’t just make arrangements for your assets; it also details plans for your children.
The Statistics
According to a recent poll, over half of all adults do not currently have a will. Of those surveyed, roughly 30% said that they don’t have a will because they didn’t know how to start the process, or believed they could not afford it.
Those are staggering statistics, given that an estimated 80% of the adult population are parents. It means that a significant portion of parents does not have plans for their children – or assets – in the event of their passing.
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Let’s focus for a moment on the 30% that cited confusion or costliness as reasons for not getting a will. Creating a legally binding will shouldn’t be complicated or expensive. If you team up with an online law firm like Axess Law that offers a fixed price quote, you can easily and affordably create a will. A great online lawyer will walk you through the process, explaining all salient details in clear terms. In other words, there’s no good reason to leave it waiting.
Why Every Parent Needs One
If it wasn’t clear above, let’s state the most compelling reason to create a will: your kids. A will allows you to nominate a guardian for your children, rather than letting the courts decide. Without a will, your child may go to someone you don’t trust. And if you have a surviving spouse, they may have to petition courts to use your assets as child support. In an already emotional time, these processes are added stress on a grieving family.
As a parent, you are accustomed to making difficult decisions. To ensure that your kids are safely cared for by the right people, go through the easy, affordable process of creating a will with an online lawyer. Even if nothing happens to you (and it probably won’t), you’ll breathe easy knowing there is a plan in place.
