Mature Life Features

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Making a Will Won’t Kill You

If you want to get the last laugh on your family, don’t make a will. Let them squirm while they squabble about who should get what when you’re gone. It’s a fine way to get even.

But whether you like them or not, you’d be smarter to make out a will delineating the disposition of your belongings so the government won’t get them. Writing out a simple will – “I leave my watch to my oldest son and my baseball-card collection to my youngest son and my wedding ring to my daughter” – on your kitchen table and having a couple of neighbors witness it is still a simple and basic step toward shielding your assets from the coffers of the Capitol.

A will also eliminates much of the legal costs that can arise out of disputed estate claims.

A written will — you should talk about this and other estate plans with an attorney who specializes in such matters — avoids leaving the disposal of your assets and heirlooms open to legal maneuvering. It also can lessen the burden of death, estate, property and all sorts of other taxes local, state and federal politicians keep piling up on their side of the ledger.