Do I Really Need a Will?
by Patricia R Voss on 03/12/19
No, but maybe
yes. So I guess I could say “it
depends.” If you die without a Last Will, then Florida law ‘has a Will for
you!’ The Florida statutes contain a list of who gets what depending on if
you’re married or not, have children with your spouse or children from another
relationship or have no children, etc.
What does
this really mean? If you are married to
the same person (that is, not ever married to someone else) and that person
dies, as the surviving spouse you are entitled to everything. If the two of you have children together,
then you’re still entitled to everything. If your spouse dies and is survived
by you and your spouse’s children, who are not also your children, then your
share drops to one-half. If the two of you have children together, but your
deceased spouse also had children from a prior relationship, then your share is
one-half.
This sounds nice,
except for the 50% reduction part, but still most times it’s what you might
choose anyway. If you are OK with this plan, then do you really need a Will?
No.
