The questionnaire from the estate lawyer has been sitting on my desk for six months. “Just focus on the hit-by-a-bus version,” he advised, knowing wills tend to fall to the bottom of everyone’s list. “You can always update it.”

Still, I’m paralyzed. My husband and I don’t have children, so the options feel endless. How can I provide for my nephew and other close family and friends who feel like family? Should I put aside money for anyone’s education?

I think that wills are easier for parents because they have a natural push — the need to name guardians for their children and provide financially for them after they are gone. On the surface it’s about who gets your stuff, but it got me thinking about ways people without children create a legacy. Who will remember us?

Read more at The New York Times

Published: February 27, 2018