What is a will?

• Who inherits assets held in your sole name — property, vehicles, cash, possessions

• Who administers the estate (the executor) and whether they must post a bond

• Who becomes guardian of minor children, which is often the single most important clause

• Specific gifts of named items, and who receives what is left over (the residuary estate)

• Instructions for pets, digital accounts and charitable gifts

Beneficiary designations beat the will. Retirement accounts, life insurance and any account marked payable-on-death pass directly to the named beneficiary, whatever the will says.

Jointly owned property with right of survivorship passes to the surviving owner automatically. Assets already inside a living trust are governed by the trust, not the will.

• Simple will: names beneficiaries, an executor and guardians.

• Pour-over will: used alongside a living trust to sweep any stray assets into the trust

• Testamentary trust will: creates a trust on death, common where children inherit young

• Holographic will: handwritten and unwitnessed, only valid in some states and easily challenged

• Living will: not a will at all — it is a medical directive about end-of-life care

Online will services handle straightforward estates for $100–$500. Use an attorney where there is a business, property in more than one state, a blended family, a beneficiary with special needs, or an estate large enough to face estate tax.

• Be of legal age and sound mind, and put it in writing

• Sign in front of the number of witnesses your state requires, usually two disinterested adults

• Add a self-proving affidavit before a notary where your state allows it — it saves the executor a step

• Store the original somewhere the executor can actually reach; tell them where it is

• Review after marriage, divorce, birth, death, a move to a new state, or a major asset purchase

What happens if you die without a will?

State intestacy law decides who inherits, usually in the order spouse, children, parents, siblings. A court appoints an administrator and, where there are minor children, decides guardianship without your input.

Does a will avoid probate?

Do I need a lawyer to write a will?

Not legally. A properly signed and witnessed will is valid whoever drafted it.

Can a will be changed?

Yes, at any time while you have capacity — by a codicil for small changes, or by signing a new will that revokes the old one. Destroy the previous original to avoid confusion.

Does a will override a beneficiary designation?