Yup. We drafted a do-it-yourself deal when we got married (around 25 years old), but a few years ago we actually met with an estate planner because we planned on taking a couples only trip and figured that if the plane went down we should probably put something more detailed in writing for the sake of the kids.
Now all of our assets will go into a trust so that the little rugrats won’t have access to most of the money until they reach the age of 25.
It’s pretty easy to write a revocation of all previous wills, just so you don’t have the uncertainty of wondering whether anyone has a copy of the old one.
I drafted wills for myself and my husband when I was pregnant (age 35). I just updated my healthcare power of attorney and advance directives to the forms for my current state, since I’m having surgery this week, but I haven’t gotten around to updating the wills yet. I may wait until I either get pregnant again or give up (although the wills are written in such a way that our property should still be distributed the way we wish even if I haven’t gotten around to it yet when I die).
Yes. I have a will. Made my first one at about 24 after my father died, and about the time we had our first child. After the divorce, I putzed around about making a new one…my divorce lawyer told me my ex wouldn’t get anything anyhow since he wasn’t my husband anymore, but I finally got around to it right before I had major surgery in 2004. I used a standard form, and had two friends witness it…cost me nothing to do. But then I don’t have anything even close to a complicated estate. No money, no real estate, and the kids are already the beneficiaries on my insurance. But I do have stuff…
Don’t have a will but I’m only 18 so I don’t suppose it’s an issue yet. I do wonder sometimes when would be a good age to put together a living will. My drivers license says donor* so that takes care of the organs. But it’s my understanding that living wills handle more than just when to pull the plug. I dunno.
*When I filled out the form for the license my dad noticed I checked the box that said donor and laughed, saying that it had no legal validity until he said so since (at the time) I was not of age. I was very vehement that if I died between then and when I turned 18 my organs were to be donated or there would be major beyond the grave haunting. He laughed again and said they probably would have donated my organs anyway which made me feel oddly ill at ease.
Interesting answers. Thanks everyone.
I made my first will when I was 20.
And remember, folks, when it comes time to fill in the blank for who the beneficiary should be, be sure to spell the name M-U-F-F-I-N correctly. Thanks muchly.
Not necessarily. Check your state statutes to see if they have a fill-in-the-blank will included. Wisconsin’s does and one can copy/print it right out of the statute and fill it in.
No, because my heirs according to statute would be the people I’d leave what money I have anyway (my parents and my brother). It’s below their threshold for paying inheritance tax so tax considerations don’t come into it either,
Yes, we made one shortly after the birth of our first son. I was 26. I would encourage everyone to have a simple will made though, even single people. You can make a simple one online for very little money.
I realized after making the will how helpful it is to have one. Even if your assets would end up where you want them eventually by state law, a will speeds things along and makes things easier for your surviving relatives. Someone has to step in and sort though all your stuff and write to your bank and tell your creditors you are dead and all that.
There is no guessing over what your wishes might have been.
Plus, the living will aspects of it are important - if you are in a car accident and unconscious, who do you want making medical decisions for you? Going through your stuff? Paying your bills while you are in the hospital? Who can get access to your bank accounts if you are incapacitated? Even if you don’t have many assets, there are still things that need to be sorted out. I have seen situations where people died without a will and the surviving relatives never say “well, that was easy! Just as well he never bothered with a will!”
You can always leave your money to a charity of your choice instead of letting it go to the state. Ok, I will get off my soapbox now. (Get a will! 
Oh and while you’re at it, you need life insurance too! At least cover your own funeral if you don’t have any dependents. ok, I’m really done now.)
Yes. I’ve had a “what to do if I die” letter filed with my brother since I was 18, but I got a real, lawyer-approved will when I got married at 27. (The lawyer, with whom my husband had had a lifelong relationship, didn’t quite call me a golddigger to my face, which would make you laugh out loud if you knew me, and we don’t go to that lawyer anymore.)
Anyway, for our most recent will, we went to see a guy who goes to our church. We are friend-ish with him and his wife (we don’t see them by ourselves socially much, but we do see them regularly and like them) and we trust him. He drew up a will, a living will, a medical power of attorney, and I think one more document that I can’t recall, for each of us. Full price for that service, for both of us, was $400, although we got something of a price break. It was well worth it. While we don’t make a lot of money, we do have not-insubstantial assets in land, and don’t want a legal fiasco if anything happens to us or one of us.
We’ll probably make minor updates to our wills if we have children. (edited to clarify: Our wills already specify that assets go to our children if we have them. We’d just add specific names in.)
Something to think about with guardianship: we named my brother, by himself, as the guardian for our (as-yet-theoretical) children. Though we don’t expect him to get divorced, our lawyer recommended naming only him. That way, if he does get divorced, or his wife dies, or whatever, we don’t have to update anything. And if he is already the guardian of the children, and THEN he gets divorced, it’s very clear which person should retain guardianship of our children. It’s not something I would have thought of, but I do think it makes sense.
Oh, and I’m 32.