A Duty to Write a Will

 This guest post is from Jachin Anrig, Regent Law 2L:

 

My father is a diabetic and regularly must rush to the hospital with a life-threatening medical condition stemming from his diabetes. Until this year, I had never considered the legal and financial implications of my father’s death. This year when I went home, I talked with my father about setting up a will to take care of my mother if he dies before she does. While my father desires to leave his entire portion of the estate to the care of my mother, to date, he has never thought that he was required to do anything to ensure she was taken care of. After talking to him, he agreed to create a will and asked that I assist him in writing and formalizing the will. (In California, there are legal programs you can use to draft and certify a will).  

I am thankful my father survived his life-threatening blood poisoning this year by God’s grace. However, “No man has authority to restrain the wind with the wind, or authority over the day of death.” (Ecclesiastes 8:8). We do not know the time or the place when God will call us home. If we have family or loved ones who rely on us to provide for them, we have a duty to ensure they are provided for. Thankfully my parents will now have a will to ensure that they are taken care of in their old age, and the remainder of their estate will be distributed properly. I would encourage everyone who reads, especially if you have loved ones who rely on you as the breadwinner, to take an hour or two to meet with a lawyer to write a will to protect your family.