New dads refuse to get a will. So we decided to make a cheesy law commercial to remind them.

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Dude Turned Dad Episode 33: You Need a Will! - Fatherly

by Evan Kaufman
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Originally Published: 

You need a will. Let me say it again for the people in the back: YOU NEED A WILL.

One day, you will die. Yes… even you. I’ll die too. Maybe we’ll die together and right before you and I go, you can tell me that you read this article and it’s the only reason you have a will. That would help me rest easier.

Sixty percent of new mothers and fathers don’t have a last will and testament. (research: https://www.aarp.org/money/investing/info-2017/half-of-adults-do-not-have-wills.html)

The reasons are varied. Poor people don’t think they need wills. Most people don’t want to think about death. Paperwork, lawyers, life insurance. I don’t blame you for dragging your feet as you’re dragged to the grave. Prepping your last wishes means you have to acknowledge some wishes will be your last. It feels final, depressing, and to top it off, legal. Filling out paperwork is already a non-starter. Filling out death paperwork? Gross.

I get it. It throws me into an existential crisis so bad I start digging out old college poetry. But having kids has made one thing clear to me: I now do things I hate for the good of those I love. That means eating vegetables, saving money, and yes… thinking about my future as worm food.

A will isn’t about divvying up those baseball cards you’ve been holding onto. It’s about creating a plan for your kids when you cease to be. Who will be their guardians? What are your final wishes? How do you keep their lives as simple as possible after they’ve lost a parent?

This is your final act of care. I know it’s hard to remind yourself to deal with unpleasant subjects such as this. Which is why Dude Turned Dad and Fatherly teamed up with some lunatic named Odin Calamari to create a cheesy lawyer commercial to help you remember.

So what are you waiting for? You shouldn’t even finish reading this sentence. What you should be reading is the phone number of a lawyer, or the about page of an Internet service to help you lock down a temporary will.

Do it. Not for yourself, but for your kids. They’ll thank you for it. And you won’t have unfinished business resulting in you becoming a ghost haunting a lawyers office. Even if that does sound pretty cool.

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