Law usually makes people unhappy. Every time the phone rings or my phone lights up it’s because someone has a problem. Usually, a large problem. Unhappiness abounds.
How can law make you happy?
Easy.
Last week I was listening to NPR. They had on an economist discussing the economics of happiness.
Essentially, instability of affairs makes people unhappy. This is why going through divorces, evictions, and foreclosures are so stressful.
Stability makes people happy.
The economist stated that income does not relate to happiness. People who make lots of money can be just as unhappy as people who don’t make much money at all. The key, the economist said, was economic stability. He said the purchase of life insurance is actually a renewable source of happiness as opposed to purchasing a new TV. Life insurance makes people feel more stable.
I’ll say the same is true for doing a will and doing some simple estate planning. From practice, both having done a number of wills and having my own done, it’s apparent to me that the act of executing a will usually makes people happy because it provides them with security.
I can’t imagine leaving it up to a judge to decide who would get to raise my child if something were to happen to my me and my wife. Thinking about that would make me unhappy.
So, invest in your happiness right now, do a will.