This is a guest folks from the folks at Fabric
One of the most important ways you can help protect your family is to write your last will and testament, which can do everything from distributing your estate to detailing who should take care of your kids if you were to pass away.
This process doesn’t have to be dry, boring or depressing!
To make it fun, we did a thought experiment using one of our favorite TV shows: What would Homer Simpson put in his will?
Here’s what we came up with:
He’d bequeath a lot of specific gifts
In addition to simply leaving your whole estate to someone, you can earmark specific gifts for specific people. We bet that Homer would have a lot of requests in this arena:
- The house would go to Marge, provided they’re already co-owners. If she doesn’t survive him, he’d leave it to Apu to enjoy with his family.
- Maggie gets his most beloved possession: his television set.
- Lisa gets all the books Homer has ever owned (all three of them).
- Homer would leave his bowling ball to Otto.
- Flanders gets back one TV tray that he lent Homer in the past.
- Bart gets all the rest of the crap that Homer has borrowed from Flanders over the years.
- Burns gets the dog, Santa’s Little Helper, who always annoyed Homer anyway.
- Marge’s sisters Patty and Selma would receive one pair of dirty underwear, each.
After those gifts are distributed, he’d need to choose a beneficiary to receive the remainder. A common selection is to give your belongings to your spouse first, then if that person doesn’t survive you, to divide it among your remaining children equally.
That’s what Homer would do.
Who’s responsible enough to be Homer’s executor?
The executor of your will is the person who’s responsible for actually carrying out your wishes, closing out your accounts and all that technical stuff. You can choose someone with whom you have a personal relationship, or you could choose someone you know professionally, like a lawyer, to oversee your wishes.
Homer would choose the most responsible person in his life: Lisa. As a backup in case she’s not available, he’d choose the only lawyer he knows, Lionel Hutz.
Who would Homer choose as his kids’ guardian?
Typically, a legal guardian is the person who would look after your kids if you were to pass away. In most cases, if you’re married to your children’s parent, then your spouse would take care of the kids. In case your spouse failed to survive you, though, you’d need to designate someone to take care of your children.
We think Homer would choose his long-lost brother, Herb Powell, as his top choice. As his backup, we think he’d choose his friend Barney—along with instructions to raise ‘em at the bar.
Homer Simpson’s last wishes
Although not legally enforceable as part of your will, you can choose to specify any particular desires for your burial and commemoration, such as what you want to happen to your body and the kind of ceremony you want.
We think Homer would have a number of requests:
- Cremate him and spread his ashes around the Duff Brewery.
- He wants a funeral and a memorial. Party hard!
- Sideshow Bob should give the eulogy because he’s one of the smartest-sounding people Homer knows and just such a good talker (sorry, Bart).
- Please serve Lard Lad Donuts and Marge’s pork chops at the memorial!
- When commemorating Homer, “Baby Elephant Walk” should be playing.
What choices do you think Homer would make in his will? And which decisions matter most to you, in your own will?
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This article is designed to provide general information on the subjects covered. It is not, however, intended to provide specific tax or legal advice. Please note that Fabric and its representatives do not give tax or legal advice. You are encouraged to consult with your tax advisor or attorney concerning your own situation.