I update my will regularly. I see it as an act of love and responsibility to my daughter.

• Regularly updating my will is an act of love and responsibility for my daughter. • My parents modeled practical estate planning, making death a normalized topic in our family. • I think having open conversations about wills and decluttering can ease future burdens.

When I was growing up, every time my parents left to go on a vacation without the kids, they would post their itinerary on the fridge, remind us to behave for whichever relative was in charge that week, and then, almost as an afterthought, say, "The wills are in the cabinet."

Whether they were flying to Greece for three weeks or driving to New Hampshire for a long weekend, the simple yet jarring reminder was always the same. The wills are in the cabinet.

My siblings and I didn't take them too seriously. I recall more th