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Last Will & Testament Preparation

This is the one document that touches everything — your business, your children, your assets, your cash. We can't hand you a finished, executable will — no self-help tool responsibly can, given how much rides on getting it right. What this does is take you as far as the preparation can honestly go, organized and in writing, so an attorney finishes in less time, for less money, starting from clarity instead of a blank page.

This is not a legal document and is not a substitute for an attorney-drafted will. Of everything in this series, this is the one most worth paying an attorney to finalize — it governs literally everything you own and everyone you're responsible for, and mistakes here are the hardest and most expensive to fix, sometimes only discoverable after it's too late to correct. Most states require your signature in front of two disinterested witnesses (not your executor or beneficiaries) to be valid at all. A self-proving affidavit — signed in front of a notary — is optional in most states but strongly recommended: it lets your will go through probate without your witnesses needing to be tracked down and testify later. Bring what you generate here to an attorney; do not rely on it as your final will.

1. Your Information

Full Legal Name *

State of Residence *

Date of Birth *

Marital Status

Home Address

2. Executor

The person responsible for carrying out your will and settling your estate.

Executor's Name *

Relationship

Alternate Executor (if your first choice can't serve)

3. Minor Children

I have minor children

A will is where a guardian nomination becomes legally binding — use our Guardianship Designation tool alongside this one and attach both when you see an attorney; the guardian named there should match what goes in the will itself.

4. Business Interests

I own all or part of a business

Bring our Business Succession plan (or a real buy-sell agreement, if you have a co-owner) to the same attorney meeting — your will and your succession plan need to agree with each other, not contradict.

5. Specific Bequests (optional)

Specific items, amounts, or property left to specific people — one per line. Everything not listed here falls into the residuary estate below.

Specific Bequests

6. Residuary Estate

Who gets everything else — the rest of your assets, cash, and property not specifically named above.

Residuary Beneficiaries

7. Digital Assets & Final Wishes (optional)

Kept brief here — full detail belongs in your Emergency Access Binder and Letter of Instruction.

Anything Else

Your Preparation Draft

Generated on this device only — nothing was saved or sent anywhere. This is preparation, not a finished will. Take it, your Guardianship Designation (if applicable), and your Business Succession plan (if applicable) to an attorney to finalize and execute correctly for your state.