How to talk to your adult kids about your Will

Writing a Will online is important, but there are a number of other things you need to do too, in order to make sure that the right steps are taken and the right things happen in the right order. When you die, your executor will ensure that your Will is followed and that your chosen beneficiaries receive their split of your estate; but it’s still important to communicate with everyone involved ahead of time, so that there are no surprises that could derail the process for anyone or complicate matters.

One of the most important conversations you’ll have about your Will is going to be sitting down with your kids and letting them know what your intentions are and running them through the division of your assets and your estate. It’s not a comfortable conversation to have, but it could save a lot of headaches and heartache down the road.

When you start to think about the contents of your Will, you might want to schedule a conversation before you start writing it. That way, you can have all the major discussion points and arguments (there may be a few!) out of the way early on.

Talking to your kids about your estate includes deciding who might get what

That’s the hardest part of the conversation, because nobody wants to think about their parents passing away, and nobody wants to think about their kids having to live without them. It can be a sad thought, but we know that having it sorted out in advance does mean that when the inevitable happens, you can lessen the pain and difficulty of it.

Start the conversation by laying out the plans you’ve already come up with for what should happen to your assets. If you have properties, cash, shares or anything else that you might want to divide between your children and your preferred charitable causes, give them some insight into how those plans will take shape and what your intentions are behind them.

It’s also a good idea to think about family heirlooms and items that have sentimental value that you want to care for, or that you know will have personal meaning to some of your kids. For example - wedding rings or Grandma’s jewellery should be planned for. Family photos and memorabilia ought to be divided here and included in your estate and your Will also.

The more you involve your kids in the process, the more comfortable they’ll be

Making death a real concept instead of an abstract concept means that people are going to feel a little more comfortable with ideas about the next things and the last things. You can start to have conversations that go beyond just your estate and can bring your family closer. But either way, you’ll make your kids a little more open to the contents of your Will - and less likely to contest it in the event of your death.

However you decide to talk about writing your Will online, make sure you approach it in a proactive way that will set you up for success, and set your estate up for safety.