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To: AnAmericanMother

There are pre-printed Wills and all that stuff available online. Very official.

There’s one problem. The only way to find out if they are any good, is to die, and then see if there’s an issue, by which time it’s too late.

Another common problem is people keep their Will in a safe deposit box. But when someone dies, the bank seals the box. Only the Executor or Executrix can gain access. Power of Attorney won’t cut it. And the Will is what specifies Executor of the Estate. Oops.


19 posted on 07/11/2023 3:55:04 PM PDT by Freedom4US
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To: Freedom4US

“ But when someone dies, the bank seals the box. ”
Right you are, however a copy of the will is usually kept by the attorney that drew it up!


22 posted on 07/11/2023 4:11:30 PM PDT by 9422WMR
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To: Freedom4US
Yep, but for heaven's sake don't use them! Laws vary from state to state, and these pre-printed websites don't always take that into account - so you wind up in worse shape than if you had left a handwritten will under the sofa cushions.

As the old song goes . . .
"Take up your glass and a bright bumper fill,
To the jolly testator who writes his own will!"

If you've got any property of any value at all, it's important to consult a lawyer to have your will made! I'm a lawyer, but I don't do wills - was a courthouse rat for my entire working life - that is to say, a litigator, that is, I cleaned up other folks' mistakes. So when I made my will, I went to a law school classmate's firm and his younger brother took care of it. It's "right and tight" - the lawyer has a copy, and I have the original at home in my safe, and my executor has a copy as well (and the combination to my safe).

Oddly enough, I sat on a jury in a will contest back in 2010 or thereabouts. Undue influence - we broke the will. It was an interesting experience because for litigators, a jury is a "black box" - the evidence and charges go in at one end, and a verdict comes out at the other, and you really have no idea what went on. So it was very educational! My husband, on the other hand, was practically a professional juror - I guess he sat on a dozen juries over the years, in 3 different counties. So I did have a lot of information on How Juries Think. It did help.

29 posted on 07/11/2023 4:32:11 PM PDT by AnAmericanMother (Ecce Crucem Domini, fugite partes adversae. Vicit Leo de Tribu Iuda, Radix David, Alleluia!)
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