Well, you need a will and an executor to make sure wishes are carried out. And the executor needs to be someone who will not be swayed by threats or sob stories. For all of us, if we simply express our wishes and our documents aren't legal or treated as though they are, it's just talk.

Unfortunate but true. Also unfortunate but true is that deaths often bring out the worst in people, who decide they will get even for an old grudge or take possessions because they think they deserve them. People might think their own families will be exempt from this shabby behavior, but no.

I would be a good executor because I am really mean!