If you're coming up with these or other reasons for not planning for death, you're in good -- if not smart -- company. Just over one-third of Americans have a will, and fewer than half have any estate-planning documents at all, according to a 2011 survey conducted for EZLaw.com. "People don't want to think about dying. They're uncomfortable with the topic," says Danielle Mayoras, coauthor with Andrew Mayoras of Trial & Heirs (Wise Circle, $20). "For that reason, they don't do

People work hard throughout their lives to provide for their families, but many make serious errors in planning — or simply fail to plan — when it comes to passing their wealth to heirs after they die. To that point, studies show that many Americans old enough to need estate planning have done absolutely nothing about it. This lapse is, of course, the most fundamental error you can make in estate planning. Here are five of the most common estate-planning mistakes that can jeo