Who Gets Your Stuff When You Have No Kids?

A while back we published a post about Swedish Death Cleaning and I’ll hazard a guess that after you read that post, many of you went through your stuff and disposed of things.  So here’s another thought-when you don’t have kids, to whom do you leave your stuff?  The New York Times tackled that issue in this article, If You Don’t Have Children, What Do You Leave Behind?

The author’s essay explains her dilemma as she puzzles through who of her relatives get what, and in what amount, offering her view 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?”

The author did a lot of homework, casting a wide net of inquiries and carefully considering her catch.  She discovered “patterns and creative thinking [and] saw a lot of worry, too, mostly about who will take care of us when we’re old. When it comes to legacy and relationships with young people, people start close to home. Nieces, nephews and godchildren came up in nearly every response. As did the idea of meaningful work. And that’s true for [the author].”

This is an interesting piece and I think it would be useful for our students to read. It will help remind them that estate planning is not a “one-size-fits-all” exercise.

Thanks to Professor Naomi Cahn for sending this our way.