Wills are an important thing to have if you own any form of property or valuables. They allow you to designate the person or organization that will take care of your assets after your death, as well as who should be responsible for raising any minor children you might leave behind. It’s not always easy to know when someone should start writing a will, almost no one thinks they’re going to die soon and it’s an easy thing to put off. However, it’s a matter that deserves serious consideration as many factors go into your decisions.

You Have a Child or Children

If you have a child or multiple children, it’s best to have a will ready so that they can be taken care of. This could be who would be in charge of taking care of them after you, and possibly your spouse, pass, or what of your estate your children are entitled to. While stepparents typically have no legal obligations towards their stepchildren, as these duties fall to the biological parents, if you’ve gone through an adoption process that makes you responsible for them legally or wish to leave them something as well it is vital that you make sure this is indicated in your will.

You Own Property

If you have personal bank accounts or own real estate, land, or even pets, it’s best to have a plan in place for what happens to your property after you die. An estate planning attorney can advise you on how to delegate what goes to who, and what can or can’t be placed into a will. For example, if you already have a named beneficiary on any accounts or insurance plans, they cannot then be willed to someone else. Another example would be if you jointly owned property with another person, you cannot will that property to someone else. The legal ownership would instead automatically transfer to the surviving owner. In fact, it’s generally good practice not to put the beneficiaries of life insurance or any sort of accounts into a will, as these accounts and plans normally come with their own beneficiary plans.

You Worry About Your Wishes Being Ignored

A will is a surefire way to ensure that your wishes, within reason, cannot be ignored after you’re gone. Your wishes can still be contested in court, but they still have to be taken into consideration by those responsible for upholding your will.

Some wishes can’t legally be enforced, and it’s important to keep that in mind if you wish to put conditions in your will. For example, you cannot demand the marriage, divorce, or change of religion of a beneficiary. That would not be legally recognized by a court and the beneficiary would be free to ignore it. In a nutshell, there are some wishes that will be outright ignored but for the most part, a will is still a great way to make sure your wishes are known and the ones that can be enforced will be enforced, or at the very least they can’t be ignored since anyone who wishes to change the conditions would have to go through a court process.

In truth, everyone should have a will as soon as they come into possession of anything valuable or in need of guardianship so as to avoid a fight after their passing. In reality, many people usually wait to have a will written up, and sometimes they end up passing before they can properly put their affairs in order. That’s why it’s a good idea to put some thought towards your own will as soon as possible, and it can’t hurt to seek professional advice when deciding what to do with your possessions.

Kara Masterson is a freelance writer from Utah. She graduated from the University of Utah and enjoys writing and spending time with her dog, Max.