Highfalutin terms like “estate planning” can put off younger adults and conjure grandiose notions of excessive wealth.

That’s one reason Betty-Anne Howard, a financial planner with Athena Wealth and Legacy Solutions in Kingston, Ontario, says the global estate planning industry has an image problem, particularly with younger generations.

For anyone who doesn’t own a home, isn’t married or doesn’t have any dependent children, writing a will may seem pointless. And the financial planning community hasn’t done a great job of selling young people on why they should go through the estate planning process when they don’t feel they own much of worth.

“If we simplify the question ... the answer starts to make some sense to younger people,” says Howard. “You have treasures, whatever they may be — what do you want to see happen to what it is you love?”

Without a plan, you won’t have any say over what happens to your treasures one day.

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Wills aren’t just for rich people

Only 1 in 3 Americans have a will or living trust in place, according to a survey of about 2,600 U.S. adults released this year by senior living referral business Caring.com. The pandemic apparently had an effect on many young adults’ views about planning for the end of life because the number of 18-to-34-year-olds with estate planning documents increased by 50% since the start of the crisis.

Howard believes the term “estate planning” makes the process seem inaccessible or irrelevant for anyone not of a certain age or with significant assets.

Indeed, 1 in 3 Americans without a will or living trust say they don’t feel like they have enough wealth to leave behind, according to the survey.

But considering your wishes earlier in life when your needs are simpler will make the process feel more natural and manageable when your life — and needs — become more complex as you age.

“This is key because too many people, over time, as they start to accumulate more assets aren’t necessarily asking themselves these questions,” says Howard. “If part of your life journey is to ask yourself these questions, it will be easier later in life to address [them].”

Patrick Hicks, general counsel and head of legal at Trust & Will in San Diego, told Caring.com that no minimum wealth level is needed to create a will or living trust, and all adults need at least a basic plan to cover their needs and the needs of the people they care about.

“Estate planning isn’t just for the rich, and it is about far more than the value of your assets,” Hicks says.