Yikes. Yeah, you always hear about these stories. That might be a good idea for a post—how to write your will down to the detail to avoid stuff like this.

I suppose it’s a bad idea to do your own bankruptcy, divorce, or taxes too? I’m sure you’d say “yes”, but for me and a majority of my friends and family, it’s “Do it yourself or not at all.” And believe me, I’ve seen some terrible consequences of the “Not at all” option.

Would we be able to agree that this—while risky…

Most states require witness signatures. In NY you have to have two disinterested (i.e., not getting anything under the will, or getting less in the will than they would get through intestacy) sign within 30 (I think it’s 30, might be 60) days of the testator.

When I signed out, I did leave these suggestions via your website. It’s good to know that you’re responsive and open, by reviewing the comments on Lifehacker, too.

@nwotrapture: Thank you for taking the time to comment.

We recognize and respect the importance of attorneys in the estate planning process. This is why we worked with dozens of the country’s leading estate planning attorneys to ensure our service is compliant with state laws across all 50 states and the District of…

Good morning! I’m Eliam Medina, the CEO of Willing. Excited to be here this morning. Kristin is right, notarizing is not required in any of the 50 states for your will to be legally valid. However, in most states, it is a good idea to do so because it can help expedite the probate process.

From what I understand, in the States at least, notarizing isn’t necessary, but it helps with the probate process. Unless I’m mistaken? Via Nolo:

Just went through the process and it is pretty simple. I’ve been meaning to create a will for a little while now, simply because there is enough money hiding around that I need to specify that it goes to either my wife or (if she isn’t living) my brother. I also liked that I can specify my after death services. My…