Many Buffalo readers have been enthralled by Swedish author Steig Larsson's Millennium Trilogy, which includes his novel "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo," and its subsequent movie adaptation, for which Rooney Mara recently received an Oscar nomination.

Believe it or not, there is a wills, estates and trusts lesson to be learned here. Larsson was 50 when he died unexpectedly of a heart attack. He left behind a live-in girlfriend who unfortunately was not automatically in line to inherit anything, since the two never wed.

Larsson could have provided that his girlfriend, whom he had been dating for 32 years, in a will, but sadly, he never wrote one. This means his girlfriend and his family have had to engage in a very high-profile battle over the millions Larsson eventually earned from the Millennium Trilogy's success. His estate is supposedly worth $40 million.

And it's not just about money. It has been rumored that the girlfriend is in possession of a laptop that contains a fourth novel Larsson wrote. Larsson's family wants it, but the girlfriend will not give it to them because she claims Larsson was not close to them and has not approved of the way they have managed his memory so far. Larsson's will could have dictated what would become of the laptop and the unpublished novel.

Even if you never become a bestselling author or a millionaire, you should still make some preparations for the future. You don't need to be vastly wealthy or important to make sure your assets are distributed as you'd like.

Source: Forbes, "Etta James, Others Remind of Need for Estate Planning in 2012," Andy and Danielle Mayoras, Jan. 24, 2012