San Francisco, CA, April 8, 2013 - Every adult should create a Last Will to protect their loved ones, but a majority of Americans (61 percent) are going without, the top reasons being they haven't gotten around to it, don't think it's urgent and don't have a lawyer. In addition, 70 percent of Americans with children under 18 in the household have no Will, which could unintentionally be putting their children's future at risk by not appointing guardians. Even 34 percent of Americans over age 55 do not have a Will. These are some of the results of a new survey conducted online within the United States by Harris Interactive on behalf of Rocket Lawyer from March 19th - 21st, 2013 among 2,076 U.S. adults ages 18 and older. Rocket Lawyer, the fastest growing online legal service, aims to change this by devoting the month of April to raising awareness about estate planning and offering a free Last Will during the entire month.
The main reasons for not creating a Last Will? A majority "have not gotten around to it yet," (55 percent), a quarter believe it's not urgent (26 percent) and almost one fifth (19 percent) don't have a Will because they do not have a lawyer. Rocket Lawyer is providing a reason to complete this essential task: during Make a Will Month in April, everyone can create a free Last Will, joining the more than 100,000 people who create their Last Wills every month with Rocket Lawyer. It's also simple and affordable to talk to an estate planning lawyer.
"There's a common misconception that a Will is just about distributing financial assets, but there are other crucial reasons to create an estate plan. When there's no Will, families can be divided in their time of grief, with potential court battles over child custody, assets, and even memorial decisions," said Charley Moore, founder and executive chairman of Rocket Lawyer. "That's why every year, Rocket Lawyer supports 'Make a Will Month,' in April, so anyone can visit our site to create a free Last Will. We've made the process simple and intuitive so anyone can do it and easily find affordable legal counsel to help."
Access to Legal Counsel
It's simple and free to create a step-by-step Last Will with Rocket Lawyer. For those who need customized guidance from an attorney -- like people with dependent children, real estate, significant assets or ownership in a business -- it's easy and affordable to talk to a lawyer with Rocket Lawyer On Call®. Whether it's asking a quick question, or having a lawyer check your work to make sure it's done right, members get the legal guidance they need. Thirty-eight percent of U.S. adults specifically would create a Will to avoid family disputes. To ensure that your estate plan fully protects your family from disputes and other legal hassles, it's always a good idea to talk to an attorney.
"I worked hard for 43 years and made a nice life for myself and my family. And I knew estate planning was important, but I always put it off." said Lazarus Guisso Rocket Lawyer Customer. "It wasn't until I retired and started volunteering with Alzheimer patients that it dawned on me to make one while still of sound mind and able to bequeath my estate the way I want. I found Rocket Lawyer online and was really impressed at how easy it was to create one. I'm over 70-years old and just made my first Will, but as they say, 'better late than never.'"
Digital Assets
Digital assets continue to gain prominence as Americans live more of their lives online. But what happens to personal emails sent and received, online photo albums filled with priceless memories, or the countless valuable online accounts maintained each day, like Paypal or eBay? Unfortunately, 93 percent of Americans who have digital assets were unaware of or misinformed about what would happen to their digital assets should they die. Rocket Lawyer can help people determine what happens to their digital assets whether it's a Twitter account or appointing someone to manage their online identity after death.
Key findings from Rocket Lawyer's Make a Will Month survey include:
- 70% of Americans with children under 18 living in the household do not have a Will
- 55% of Americans who do not have a will just haven't gotten around to making one
- 84% of single/never married Americans do not have a Will
- 34% of Americans aged 55 and older do not have a Will
- 62% of Americans say one of the most important reasons to create a Will is to ensure their assets are passed on to the right people
- 38% of Americans say one of the most important reasons to create a Will is to prevent family disputes
- 40% of Americans say one of the most important reasons to create a Will is to specify funeral/last wishes
- 93% of Americans with digital assets don't know or are misinformed about what will happen to those assets when they die
- 28% of Americans would rather do anything else than create a Will
About Rocket Lawyer™
At Rocket Lawyer, we believe everyone deserves easy and affordable legal services. Since 2008 we've helped over 20 million families and small businesses take care of their legal matters -- so they can focus on what really matters. From free legal documents and business incorporation to discounted rates with outstanding attorneys, we're there to help every step of the way. For more information on Rocket Lawyer, please visit https://www.rocketlawyer.com and follow Rocket Lawyer on Twitter, Facebook and Google+.
About Harris Interactive
Harris Interactive is one of the world's leading market research firms, leveraging research, technology, and business acumen to transform relevant insight into actionable foresight. Known widely for the Harris Poll® and for pioneering innovative research methodologies, Harris offers proprietary solutions in the areas of market and customer insight, corporate brand and reputation strategy, and marketing, advertising, public relations and communications research. Harris possesses expertise in a wide range of industries including health care, technology, public affairs, energy, telecommunications, financial services, insurance, media, retail, restaurant, and consumer package goods. Additionally, Harris has a portfolio of multi-client offerings that complement our custom solutions while maximizing our client's research investment. Serving clients in more than 196 countries and territories through our North American and European offices, Harris specializes in delivering research solutions that help us -- and our clients -- stay ahead of what's next. For more information, please visit www.harrisinteractive.com.
Survey Methodology
This survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Interactive on behalf of Rocket Lawyer from March 19th - 21st, 2013 among 2,076 adults ages 18 and older. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. For complete survey methodology, including weighting variables, please contact Kristin Farrell, rocketlawyer (at) bordersgratehouse.com.
This article contains general legal information and does not contain legal advice. Rocket Lawyer is not a law firm or a substitute for an attorney or law firm. The law is complex and changes often. For legal advice, please ask a lawyer.
