You might think that creating a will is easy, and it can be. But you shouldn’t just throw one together to get the process over with quickly. You need to take time and exercise care when creating your will so that you get what you want out of it. When you do so, though, you’ll want to be sure to avoid some common mistakes so that you don’t jeopardize the validity and enforceability of your will.
Mistakes to avoid when creating a will
There are several mistakes that can be made during the will creation process. Here are some of the biggest that you’ll want to avoid:
- Improperly executing your will, including having an inadequate witness of the will’s signing and lacking the requisite testamentary capacity.
- Improperly modifying or replacing an existing will, which can create a lot of confusion and fighting amongst your loved ones as to which version of your will is the most recent and legally binding.
- Not recognizing that accounts with beneficiary designations will override any provisions in your will.
- Picking the wrong person to serve as your estate executor.
- Overlooking personal property, which can create familial conflict over who gets those assets.
- Storing your will in a place where it’s hard to locate or can easily be lost.
- Neglecting to consider what happens if a named heir passes away.
Make sure your will works for you and your family
As you can see, there’s a lot that can go wrong during the will creation process. That’s why it’s helpful to understand the law and how it applies to your set of circumstances, as well as what you can do to deal with the real-world implications of your estate plan. Fortunately, you can find support for your estate planning needs, thereby setting yourself up to create the competent estate plan you need and want.