Philip Seymour Hoffman and Heath Ledger left messed up estates.

While proper estate planning is important for the average Joe, it is especially so for the rich and famous. Obviously both of these actors were dealing with more serious issues than their estates, but some simple planning could have made their families lives a lot less complicated. For instance Hoffman did not update his will to include two of his three children. Ledger did not have his girlfriend or child as part of his estate plan. This all could have been avoided by updating their will each year or having an assistant make sure it was done. Simple steps taken when alive can make heirs’ lives less painful.

From Forbes,

 not updating his will to cover all his children, the renowned actor Philip Seymour Hoffman left their grieving mother in a potentially costly conundrum.

Hoffman’s will, filed yesterday in New York City Surrogate’s Court, was signed in October 2004. At the time he had just one child – Cooper, who is now 11. Subsequently he had two daughters, Tallulah, and Willa, neither of whom is mentioned in the will.