Six Important Reasons to have a Will
It has been said that a Will is the last message you will leave your family. Having a Will can provide clear direction as to what your wishes are and who will get what. Die without a Will (known as dying intestate) and chaos will likely be the result. Having a Will allows you to provide for certainty instead of chaos.
Most of the reasons to have a Will have to do with what happens if you don’t have one and that often will depend on what province you reside in. Each provincial government has its own Wills and Estate legislation which also provides for the rules regarding intestacy. The following are some of the reasons to have a Will and what could result without one.
- Informs your family how and when your property is to be distributed
Your Will affords you the opportunity to give clear instructions as to whom will receive your wealth. It also allows you to make bequests of certain items such as family heirlooms which you may wish to leave to a specific individual. For those who wish to leave funds to a charity, the Will allows you to do this. Without a Will, this opportunity may be lost. The bottom line is that you make the call. Dying without a Will means that the provincial government will make the determinationon how your estate is to be distributed depending on the intestacy laws. Read more
“If anything should happen to me….”
Don and Kate were nervously anticipating Don’s upcoming life saving surgery. Don was also concerned that, should he not survive, Kate might not know everything that needed to be done upon his death. The night before his surgery he made this list for Kate of the things she should do if he didn’t make it through the operation:
My Dearest Kate
Although I expect to make it through this surgery it has got me thinking that anything could happen to any of us at anytime and we are rarely prepared.
So, if anything should happen……………. Read more 
Why have a will when you have beneficiaries?
You give up some control when you just have beneficiaries and no will
Q: I am married. I have RRIF and LIRA and my spouse has RRSPs. We have joint cashable accounts too. We have appointed each other as beneficiaries for every account. I am told this arrangement takes longer to settle on death if there is no will. Why do I still need a will?
—Krish
Click to read the answer to this question on the MoneySense website.
Preparing your Heirs for Wealth
If you think your heirs are not quite old enough or prepared enough to discuss the wealth they will inherit on your death, you’re not alone. Unfortunately though, this way of thinking can leave your beneficiaries in a decision-making vacuum: an unnecessary predicament which can be avoided by facing your own mortality and making a plan.
If you have a will in place, great. A will, however, is only a fundamental first step, not a comprehensive plan, point out authors of the 2017 Wealth Transfer Report from RBC Wealth Management.
“One generation’s success at building wealth does not ensure the next generation’s ability to manage wealth responsibly, or provide effective stewardship for the future,” they write. “Knowing the value (alone) does little to prepare inheritors for managing the considerable responsibilities of wealth.” Overall, the report’s authors say the number of inheritors who’ve been prepared hovers at just one in three. Read more
