<prompt> Human: My beloved Mom passed away recently. She was a beautiful soul. I adored her and will miss her forever. But she was not a planner, and she was in deep denial about her own mortality. The result of her failure to plan was an enormous amount of stress--financial and emotional--on her immediate family, at a time when we were least equipped to deal with it. Thankfully the decisions that fell to us didnt spark a big conflict, as they do in some families. But sorry, Mom its still a really shitty thing to do to your family when a bare minimum of planning could prevent it.For the sake of those who love you, plan for the worst. Make a will, especially if you have children whose guardianship could end up in dispute. Have at least enough life insurance or earmarked savings to pay for your funeral arrangements. Make your final wishes known to those with the power to carry them out. Nobody wants to think about these things, but the alternative is to abdicate the responsibility to your loved ones at a time when they are overcome by grief.  <response>: Absolutely. Everyone should be aware though that naming a guardian in your will does not necessarily resolve conflict. Courts are not bound by your will in that regard. They can and do appoint other guardians if they think it is in the childrens best interest. 