Will You Leave A Mess When You Die?

I had a friend who dropped dead on his way to work.

He was walking to his office in midtown from Penn Station when he had a heart attack and collapsed on the sidewalk. He was a securities lawyer in his 40s, a great guy, and a pillar in the Japanese American community. He’d gotten married late in life and was a new father. His daughter was still a baby when he died.

He left behind a mess.

Despite being a lawyer, he had never updated his will after getting married and having a baby. The will, dating from his bachelor days, left everything to his nieces and nephews. Because they were minors, it wasn’t a simple matter of having them waive their rights.

It took ages to sort out. Trusts and estates law varies from state to state, and from country to country, obviously, but the principle remains the same. Do not create messes after you die.

Grief is burden enough, so don’t saddle your heirs with straightening out your estate. An up to date estate plan is high priority, but never urgent. No one expects to die in the interim, and even lawyers, who should know better, put
it off.

My dad also died young of a heart attack, so I’m hyperaware that Death loves surprises, and it’s best to be prepared for him at all times.

This is your wake up call.

If you need to update your will or take care of other non-urgent but high priority life admin, move it to the top of your list. Right now. And follow through. Your last breath may happen sooner than you think.