Your Will is the document in which you explain what you want done with your Estate, name who  is to administer your estate (Executor), designate guardianship of your dependents - pets included, and state your wishes in regards to burial preferences and arrangements. Your Estate consists of personal belongings, money, investments, digital assets and other assets that you own or have an interest in.

The purpose of the Will is to pass on your assets and personal belongings to your loved ones or others according to your wishes, and with as few problems as possible. Many think what do I have? But personal belongings can hold a great deal of sentimental value to those you leave behind. 

In Canada, if you should die without having a Will, it is referred to as “intestate" and there are provincial laws that determine the division of your estate - do not assume that a spouse or Adult Interdependent Partner (AIP) will inherit everything. Without a Will, you do not have an executor. Therefore, someone must be appointed to act as an administrator of your estate creating delay, expense, frustration, and even loss. You should make a Will if you want to decide what happens to your estate when you die, rather than have decisions made that may be the farthest from your wishes as possible.

If you do not have a Will in place and you have children, it will be up to a member of your family to apply to the Court to obtain guardianship of them, a costly and not always successful process. Meanwhile the Public Guardian (the government) may be involved in your children's personal lives. Any parent knows how important it is to make sure that your children would be in the hands of someone you want.

Above all, if no Will is in place, the process of appointing guardianship of your children and of distributing your estate becomes a much more difficult, lengthy, and expensive process. A Will is your legal power to save your family stress, time, money, and ensure that your belongings end up in the right hands.