Should I have a will with baby on the way?

[Goldy1]

Me and dh are expecting a son in March, our first. I got the life insurance in order.
I was just wondering if we should have some kind of will now? This isn't something pressing I feel I need to do now or pressing, but evenually. I just wonder if we should get something in writing like who gets our child and our assets in the event it is needed. Where do you get a will?
Dh's parents had some kind of will for him when he was a kid where his uncle would have gotten cusotdy of him, and at 18 he would have gotten assets etc. like the house.

[Like2Plan]

... Yes. You can ask friends for referrals for an attorney.

[disneysteve]

You each should absolutely have a will that details distribution of assets. You should also name a guardian for your child. And everyone, parent or not, should have a living will, power of attorney, etc. to name someone to make decisions on your behalf if you are not physically able to do so.

[SacredFaerie]

Uh dur.


I'm 19 and DB is 24. We're not married yet and we both just got our wills done. Would have done it sooner if not for deployment drama. We got them done on base but that probably wouldn't be an option. You could just contact people from the Yellowpages and comparison shop. Or get referrals from friends.

[disneysteve]

Simple wills can be done for free. You can download them online. I think you can even buy them at a place like Staples. You probably just need to have them notarized though I don't know the details. I would make sure important people in your lives have a copy, like your parents and the people you name as guardians of your child.

[FrugalFish]

Dh and I used Willmaker Plus. We don't have any real complex situations to deal with, just needed to specify what happened to DD and how financial assets were to be handled. The Willmaker program is very easy to use and directs you as to what you need to do to make the printed will legal in your state. In our state, we just had to print it out and have it witnessed and signed by 2 people.

If you go that route, buy the book with software. The book is great and purchased like that costs quite a bit less than the software alone (doesn't makes sense). Book and software also have a lot of other forms as well as information on setting up trusts. Best $33 I've spent in a long time. As a matter of fact, I would recommend buying the book even if you use an attorney to write the will. It is a wealth of important information.

Congratulations on the little guy coming into your life soon.

[zetta]

I would advise going ahead and doing it now -- once the baby is here, it will be hard to find time to take a shower for the first few months, much less get the will organized.

And I'm not at all kidding about how hard it is to find time to take a shower when you're caring for a newborn!

[LivingAlmostLarge]

The reason not to do it would be you can't agree on a guardian for the baby. Sigh.

[disneysteve]

Originally Posted by LivingAlmostLarge

The reason not to do it would be you can't agree on a guardian for the baby. Sigh.

That's no reason to at least write a will. You can always add the guardian to it later. You really should name a guardian, though. You never know what could happen.

[SacredFaerie]

Originally Posted by disneysteve

That's no reason to at least write a will. You can always add the guardian to it later. You really should name a guardian, though. You never know what could happen.

I'm with you Steve.


Also, Steve you were right about the will kits. They have them at FedEx and all those kinds of places.

[ClearClouds]

It would be a wise choice to always plan in advance...whether it be for a bad or good situation.

[FrugalFish]

Originally Posted by LivingAlmostLarge

The reason not to do it would be you can't agree on a guardian for the baby. Sigh.

This will probably sound awful, but we chose who we wanted to be DD's guardian more by default of the people we did not want to be her guardian. It's always better to pick someone you feel is suitable, than to take chances that a child will end up in the right situation.

If you are afraid of hurt feelings, discuss it only with the person/people you want to name and ask them to keep the information confidential. The people we named in our will know they are her named guardian, but to the best of my knowledge, no one else knows. Hopefully no one will ever know!

[Gjowers]

The reason you would want a will once you have a baby will depend on the intestacy laws of your state. I will venture to say that in most states, the laws of intestate succession provide that if you are married, have children and die without a will, your estate is divided equally between your spouse and your child. Most people would want their spouse to get everything in those circumstances and so they write a simple will. Otherwise, should something bad happen, your infant will get half of your savings, have of your interest in your home, half of, well, everything that is yours. Such a result can really cause real problems if your spouse needed to sell the home or other property later.