Addams Family Estate Planning: Protect Your Weird Wishes

Netflix recently released the first behind-the-scenes images for the second season of Wednesday. The official premiere date for Season 2 hasn’t been announced, but we know it’s expected sometime next year.  

While we wait, let’s grab a shovel and dig into Wednesday’s eccentric family. The Addams family is known for their weird lifestyle and dark humor. While the Addams family is not like any other family, like the rest of us, they do need to prepare for the future with an estate plan.

Last Will and Testament 

Gomez and Morticia should both have wills to provide for their family and protect their children and pets. A will is a legal document that outlines how someone wants their assets and property to be distributed after death.  

Repulsive Real Estate 

The Addams own interesting real estate including a spooky mansion (previously an insane asylum), swamp, crocodile farm, and tombstone factory. To leave real estate in a will, you should: 

• Describe the real estate with its address and other specific details (like the legal description found on a deed or tax ticket)
• Identify the intended beneficiary (their legal name and contact information) 

Peculiar Personal Property 

The Addams can also leave behind other favorite personal items in their wills. Morticia might want to give her torture devices, gardening tools, and long black dresses to Wednesday. Gomez probably wants to make sure Uncle Fester or Pugsley receives his swords, cigars, and model trains.

To gift personal property in a will, you should identify and describe each specific item and name the individual you want to receive it. If you own an array of strange assets, you can include a personal property memorandum as part of your will and describe who receives each specific item. This allows you to update it anytime without going through the hassle of changing your will. Definitely a good thing if your family enjoys trying to kill each other! 

Gruesome Guardians 

Gomez and Morticia have two minor children, Wednesday and Pugsley. This means they should name a guardian for their kids and choose who will take care of Wednesday and Pugsley if they’re no longer around. Otherwise, a court might appoint someone they don’t want, like Fester’s ex-wife Debbie!  

If you are trying to decide who to name as a guardian for your children, ask yourself the following about the individuals you’re considering:

• Are they trustworthy and responsible? 
• Are they related to your children or share a close bond? 
• Are they the right age and in good health? 
• Do they have time to care for your children? 

Creepy Caretakers 

Morticia can also use her will to ensure the care of her beloved pet lion, Kitty Cat. While she can’t leave money or property to Kitty Cat, Morticia can provide care and financial security with a pet clause. You leave your pet to a beneficiary who will act as your pet’s caregiver or guardian. You can also leave a gift of money to the beneficiary and direct the funds to be used solely for the care of your pet.

Horrifying Health Care Directives 

Gomez and Morticia have very specific instructions when it comes to their final resting place. They want to be buried together in the family cemetery “side by side, six feet under, in matching coffins, their lifeless bodies rotting together for all eternity.” The best way to make sure these wishes are followed is with a health care directive that includes after-death instructions, especially for body disposition. 

Health Care Directives also outline a person's preferences for medical treatment if they become unable to communicate their decisions. For Gomez and Morticia, this could include instructions about unconventional medical treatments, like witchcraft, potions, and maybe even torture devices.   

Legal Requirements for Frightening Final Wishes 

Even if you’re not an Addams, you might have strange last requests you want to be carried out. Every state has specific requirements that you need to follow to create valid estate planning documents. To make a legitimate will, this typically includes: 

• Age: You must be an adult (usually at least 18 years old). 
• Mental Capacity: You must have testamentary capacity meaning you are of sound mind and understand your will and what it does. 
• Written Document: Your will must be in writing. 
• Signatures: You must sign in front of two disinterested witnesses who are not beneficiaries under your will. The witnesses must also sign and swear that they saw each other sign as well.  

Depending on state law, health care directives usually need to be witnessed by two individuals who are not involved in your care or acknowledged by a notary public.  

Related Resources:

• Avoid Haunting Your Loved Ones With Your Will: Don’t Rule From the Grave (FindLaw's Law and Daily Life)
• DIY Estate Planning Forms (FindLaw Legal Forms & Services)
• A Hot Mess in HotD: Why the Targaryans Needed an Estate Plan (FindLaw's Law and Daily Life)