What most wills are missing – and why it matters

Death of a loved one should bring families closer. But all too often it pushes them apart. Why?

You see it around you, in families you know. A parent passes on and things get… sticky. Families disconnect. Sometimes just growing a little more distant, sometimes getting embroiled in bitter, angry fighting. 

And it doesn’t only happen when there’s a big yerusha to fight over. Often, siblings can split over items of little value – that kiddush cup, her earrings. 

What’s going wrong? 

Odenu, a non-profit created to change this reality, took a closer look and realized that a key missing factor is clarity.  

So many arguments and bad feelings come up because children expect or remember a parent promising something different, or the will isn’t clear. 

• Did my parents really mean this? Or maybe they meant something else?

• I remember my father telling me something different: Did someone influence him to change his mind?

• Wait… shouldn’t there have been more money? Where did it all go? 

When everything is documented clearly in writing, it removes the doubt. There’s no room for everyone in the family to interpret your wishes differently, or bring up three conflicting versions of who gets what.

Doing right by your children means making it easier for them once you’re not there — with a will that’s unquestionably clear, and easy to act on.

Get the step-by-step guide to educate yourself about how to write a will that helps bring your family together, and prevents the most common problems. It’s available here at no cost at Odenu.org.

And know you’ve given your family and yourself the biggest gift: a legacy of peace.

Odenu is a non-profit on a mission to normalize estate planning and discussions, and to make them happen earlier. So death draws family closer together, not further apart.
For more information, or to get in touch, visit odenu.org.