18-Year-Olds Preparing Wills

While most 18-year-olds don’t think about preparing wills, young military personnel regularly execute them with the help of the U.S. Navy Judge Advocate General’s Corp.

Lt. Janelle Kuroda drafts wills mostly for active service members, ranging from age 17 to 35. For most of her clients, their group life insurance policies available through the military are their biggest assets. Kuroda works these policies into a will and even a trust if necessary. Other bequests typically include favorite cars or wedding bands.

Kuroda doesn’t normally hear what happens to those she helps, but she did once have a deceased service member’s family thank her for the work she did.

See Daisy Maxey, For Those in the Military, Wills are Sad Necessities, W.S.J., June 14, 2010.   

Special thanks to Jim Hillhouse (WealthCounsel) and Joel Dobris (Professor of Law, UC Davis School of Law) for bringing this to my attention.