Nearly six out of ten Americans do not have a will, including almost nine out of ten adults younger than 35, according to a recent survey by Findlaw.com, an online legal services and information company. If you're the parent of a young child, you can't afford to be among them  -- a simple truth that has added resonance since last year's terrorist attacks shook the nation. "We're all more keenly aware of our own mortality these days," says Mary Randolph, an editor with Nolo Press, a legal self-help publishing company in Berkeley, CA. "We're also thinking a lot more about our families, and how we can protect them."

Websites that specialize in do-it-yourself wills have seen much more traffic since September 11. Estate and family lawyers say their phones are ringing more frequently too. If you don't have a will, this is one time when it makes sense to jump on the bandwagon. The steps you need to take...

Contributing editor Diane Harris is coauthor of It Takes Money, Honey, a book on personal finance for women.

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