Do I need a will if all my assets are jointly owned?

The questioner knows that title to jointly owned assets and assets with designated beneficiaries, like certain bank accounts or the marital home, passes automatically to the surviving or named owner at death and wonders what the point would be of drawing up a will. The reality is that most people have other assets at the time of their death, such as an old savings account, a car, stocks and bonds, tax rebate checks, etc. It could also be the case that the circumstances of death are the basis of a suit, and the estate could become entitled to receive judgment or settlement proceeds. It is integral to have a will so that those assets are distributed to the people/entities the testator chooses because if there is no will, the assets will pass by the intestacy laws.