The Northwestern Mutual 2025 Study Found That 61% of Americans Have No Will, and Boomers Are Not Exempt

A large gap exists between Americans’ intentions to leave inheritances or charitable gifts and the legal arrangements needed to make those wishes enforceable. Thirty-one percent of U.S. adults expect to leave an inheritance or charitable gift, yet most have not signed required documents. Gen X shows high vulnerability, with 61% lacking estate documentation. Baby Boomers and older adults are also unprepared, with 39% admitting they do not have a will. Without estate planning, estates default to intestacy, removing control and forcing assets through probate court. Asset distribution can surprise heirs and create expensive, slow processes. Priority for leaving a legacy declines with age, reducing motivation to complete paperwork.

"Exactly 31% of U.S. adults expect to leave an inheritance or a charitable gift, yet a clear majority of the general population has not signed the legal documents required to make that wish enforceable . The underlying numbers expose Gen X as an incredibly vulnerable cohort with 61% lacking estate documentation, but the most uncomfortable finding sits one generation up . Fully 39% of Baby Boomers and older Americans admit they do not have a will, meaning a massive portion of the demographic closest to needing immediate estate protection remains completely unprepared ."

"A staggering 61% of Gen X adults are currently operating without a will, a troubling reality for a demographic whose oldest members are officially crossing into their sixties this year . Baby Boomers have already sailed past that milestone, yet roughly four in ten seniors still have absolutely nothing on file . Skipping estate planning forces your estate into intestacy, which strips you of your voice and hands total control over to state bureaucrat calculators . This bureaucratic default drags families through an expensive, sluggish probate court process that often divides assets in ways that shock the surviving heirs."

"This widespread lack of preparation stems from a bizarre psychological flip across age groups. While 64% of Americans who plan to leave an inheritance call it a critical or highly important financial milestone, that burning desire cools off as people age . Only 47% of Baby Boomers rank leaving a legacy as a high priority, a sharp contrast to 74% of Millennials and . Ironically, the very generation standing on the doorstep of transferring their wealth cares the least about planning for it, which explains why the legal paperwork continues to gather dust."

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