Last Will And Testament Highlight For Free

You don't have to get a lawyer to draft your will. It's perfectly legal to write your own will, and any number of products exist to help you with this, from software programs to will-writing kits to the packet of forms you can pick up at your local drugstore.

The general requirements for a valid Will are usually as follows: (a) the document must be written (meaning typed or printed), (b) signed by the person making the Will (usually called the testator or testatrix, and (c) signed by two witnesses who were present to witness the execution of the document by the maker

Choose an online legal services provider or locate a will template. Carefully consider your distribution wishes. Identify a personal representative/executor. Understand the requirements to make your will legal. Make sure someone else knows about your will. Consult a lawyer if you have a more complicated estate.

A will doesn't have to be notarized to be valid. But in most states, you'll want to add a self-proving affidavit to your will, which must be signed by your witnesses and notarized.Learn more about self-proving affidavits, including which states authorize them.

Almost all of the states now have statutes authorizing self-proving wills. Only Maryland, Ohio, Vermont, and The District of Columbia do not. Of the states who do have statutes authorizing self-proving wills, not all are the same. A will that is self-proving in one state may not be self-proving in another.

Contrary to popular belief, you do not need to have an attorney draft a will for you. Anyone can write this document on their own, and as long as it meets all of the legal requirements of the state, courts will recognize one you wrote yourself.

A Last Will and Testament is a legally binding document that allows you to designate how your property will be distributed upon your death, who will serve as guardian of your minor children, and who will settle your estate upon your death.