Even if you’re still planning for your retirement, don’t procrastinate about your will. However tempting it may be to put it off, it’s one of the most important documents you’ll ever create. Yet many people overlook it, thinking it’s too complicated or that they don’t need one (or even believe that not having a will might postpone their demise.)

Who Needs a Will? The short answer is everyone. A will is essential for successful estate and retirement planning. But while seniors planning for retirement need a will to sort out their money and property, they're not the only ones. No matter what your age, when you die without a will (“intestate”), a court decides who gets your money and property. No doubt, you’ll want to specify where your assets go rather than having a court make choices that may not match your own. A will ensures your wishes are respected. Do your family a favor, no matter what your age, and complete your will now. (You can always change it if your circumstances change.)

Is it Hard to Write a Will? Today, creating a will is quite simple. If you have a large amount of expensive property and assets to divide up, you might ask an estate planning firm or lawyer for help. But many people can use simple online software to draft a basic will. You’ll specify where your money goes, who gets what property (personal or real estate), and name a person to be the executor (the person responsible for seeing that your wishes are carried out). If you have no children or relatives to whom you want to give your assets, you can donate them to a charity—or the religious or educational organization of your choice.  That choice is always yours . . . so long as you’ve completed your will, of course.

When Should You Write Your Will? Consider drafting your will right away. Retirement will be a big transition, and you may have other issues competing for your attention at that point. Getting this important matter attended to now ensures you can enjoy your future, or at least concentrate on other financial matters later.

You Can’t Take it With You.  Most of us don’t want to consider our own eventual death (or even possible illness), but isn’t it better to be prepared? Death is inevitable. But confusion and misunderstandings are not. You may be planning to get around to your will . . . eventually, but “eventually” often finds us unprepared. Planning will help ensure that a difficult and painful time won’t be even more complicated, so think about your family now and complete your will today.