AARP Hearing Center
Does everybody need a will? The straight answer is yes. That's true even for people who think they don't have a dime to leave to anyone. What if you were in an accident and died later of injuries, and your estate won a $1 million settlement? Who gets the money?
Admittedly, that's a little far out. You might get away without having a will if, say, you're a renter living on Social Security with no savings. If you have savings, a pay-on-death account will pass that money to named beneficiaries when you die.