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Last Will and Testament
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The last
will and testament is a written directive of how you wish your
estate to be handled |
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The last
will and testament form appoints an Executor to handle your
affairs |
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The last
will and testament appoints a guardian for any minor children. |
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The last
will and testament distributes your assets to the beneficiaries
named by you in the will |
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Please Select Your Last Will and
Testament Form
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Last Will and
Testament - Married with Adult Children |
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Last Will and
Testament - Married with Minor Children |
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Last Will and Testament - Married with Adult and Minor
Children |
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Last Will and
Testament - Married without Children |
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Last Will and
Testament - Single with Adult Children |
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Last Will and
Testament - Single with Minor Children |
"I used FormsGateway for a few of my clients and I was
impressed with the ease, efficiency and quality
service."
Att'y Jeffrey Stouffer, Esq. |
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Last Will and Testament - Single with Adult and Minor Children |
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Last Will and
Testament - Single with Minor Children + Trust |
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Last Will and
Testament - Single Without Children |
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Last
Will and Testament Instructions |
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1. |
Choose
the appropriate Last Will and Testament Form best suited to your
needs from Forms Gateway archive. |
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2. |
Get rid
of all copies of old and prior last will and testament samples |
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3. |
Enter
your information in the last will and testament template and
delete remaining blank lines.
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4. |
Provide
at least nominal gifts to all your children. If you leave
them nothing, a judge may determine at a later date that you
forgot to do so, should one of them challenge your Will. Even a
gift of $1 to the child you "omit" will suffice. It is not
recommended that you leave a nominal gift to your spouse using
this will. In general, states require that the surviving spouse
receive one-third to one-half of the deceased spouse's estate. If
you wish to leave less than half of your estate to your spouse,
consult with an attorney.
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5. |
After you
have downloaded the printable online last will and testament kit
and filled out your information, review your answers carefully so
that they clearly and accurately reflect your intent.
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6. |
Choose
appropriate witnesses. All states require two witnesses, with the
exception of Vermont. However, it is strongly recommended that you
have three witnesses sign your Will in the event a witness dies or
moves to another state. Your spouse or children do not serve as
witnesses. Your witnesses must be at least 18 years of age and
should not be a beneficiary to your Will.
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7. |
Choose an
appropriate executor and alternate executor. Ideally, these
individuals should reside in the same state. Otherwise, it would
be costly for your executor to travel back-and-forth to manage
your estate. Some states require that out-of-state executors post
a cash bond, even if you have waived this requirement in your
will.
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Notarizing your Will is unnecessary, unless you choose to complete
a Self-Proving Affidavit simultaneous with the signing of your
Will. It is strongly recommended that you complete the
Self-Proving Affidavit, unless you live in the District of
Columbia, Maryland, Ohio, or Vermont, where they are not
permitted. (In California, all wills are considered "self-proved"
once they are properly signed and executed by the testator and all
witnesses. In Louisiana, signing your Will in the presence of the
witnesses before a notary public is required.) A Self-Proving
Affidavit will make it unnecessary for your witnesses to appear in
court to affirm your Will抯 validity after your death. The
Affidavit can potentially save your beneficiaries and witnesses
considerable inconvenience. It also gives your Will an extra layer
of authentication that can help your beneficiaries avoid a long
and costly probate process. (The Affidavit is found at the footer
of all Wills from our site).
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Sign a
single copy of the will together with all witnesses and distribute
unsigned copies. Witnesses must be in your immediate
presence and must observe your actual signing of the Will, and all
the witnesses must observe the other witnesses signing the Will.
You do not need to read your Will to them, and it is unnecessary
for them to read it. However, they must clearly understand that
the document is your Last Will and Testament. You must clearly
explain to them that you intend the document to function as your
Will upon your death. If your state permits a Self-Proving
Affidavit, and if you elect to attach one to your Will
(recommended), remember that the same witnesses who observed your
signing the Will should also observe your signing the Self-Proving
Affidavit. Have the notary present at the signing of your Will,
and then sign the Will and the Self-Proving Affidavit at the same
ceremony. Remember, only prepare and complete one original Will.
You should not have more than one original or even photocopies of
your signed Will. Doing so can complicate matters if you wish to
create a new will at a later time, as it may prove difficult to
track down all copies of your old Will. Instead, consider
providing your beneficiaries, executor, and alternate executor
each with an unsigned copy of you Will.
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10. |
Store
your will. Store your Will in a safe place, and let your
executor and alternate executor know where they can find and
access your original Will upon your death. |
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Writing a last will and testament is
tedious and attorneys are costly. This do it yourself blank
Last Will and Testament form template is easy to download, print
and use. The legal last will and testament form has been
professionally drafted using a friendly format that is simple and
easy to understand. |
