Getting a will isn’t the most pleasant of tasks, and consequently, too few people do it. A recent survey of more than 2,000 people by the online legal service Rocket Lawyer found that 64 percent don’t have wills. The biggest reason cited by folks: They just never got around to it. Some said they didn’t want to think about death.

You might believe that only wealthier families need a will. You’d be wrong.

Having an estate plan, including a last will and testament, is important for every family, regardless of age and how much money you have.  A will (and powers of attorney) provide some peace and certainty about how things will be handled after an individual has died (or in the case of a general durable power of attorney, becomes incapacitated).

If you die without a will, the state could get involved in the costly job of trying to determine who in your family gets what.  The decision by the state may not be what the individual intended, as well as making the probate estate much more complicated.

It’s never too late to put your financial affairs in order. Here are a few tips to get you started:

         -Make an inventory of your assets (bank accounts, investments, properties, jewelry, art collections and other personal items).

         -Review whom you’ve named as beneficiaries of your life insurance, retirement funds or investment accounts. (An ex-spouse, for example, may inherit if these forms haven’t been updated.)

         -If you’ve already drafted a plan, look it over every few years to make sure the executors are still the people you trust and are up to the task.

David Schmidt, an estate attorney at the Woodlawn Law Center, is happy to speak to you about preparing a will for you and your family. Contact David Schmidt today at 636-240-6667.