Make your wishes known.

The idea for Wills.com was created our founder had to deal with the sudden loss of his father and its aftermath. This platform is therefore built around the idea of helping those that benefit from estate planning. It is after all those that survive that have to deal with the emotional aftermath and settling the estate.  

Most people think of probate as involving a will. If a person dies and leaves a will, then probate is required to implement the provisions of that will.

However, a probate process also can happen if a person dies without a will and has property that needs to be distributed under the state intestacy law (the law of inheritance). If the decedent owned an account that named a beneficiary (such as a retirement account) but the beneficiary has passed away before the owner of the account, probate law requires that account to go through the court so that the funds can be passed to the person legally entitled to them under state law.

Some states allow a will registry to be created at the courthouse, so you may try inquiring at the local probate court whether they maintain such a registry. Other locations to look at include a safety deposit box (this may require a court order if you didn't sign the signature card), under mattresses, between book pages, car glove boxes or trunks, or other private safes. If you don't know the attorney who drafted the will, you might look for old checks made out to attorneys or legal firms. You can also ask friends of the deceased who may have acted as witnesses whether or not there was mention of where the will was kept or the attorney involved. An address book may be a good resource for people to contact. If the Testator used an online service you way want to contact these.

Who Can Be A Witness?

A witness must be an independent adult who isn’t related to the testator and has no personal interest in the Will. A neighbour or family friend is ideal. Someone cannot be a witness if they are:

• The spouse or civil partner of the testator
• A beneficiary of the Will
• The spouse or civil partner of a beneficiary.

Executors can witness the Will

A notary public is a public officer who serves the public in non-contentious matters. A Notary Public is an official of integrity appointed by state government —typically by the secretary of state — to serve the public as an impartial witness in performing a variety of official fraud-deterrent acts related to the signing of important documents.

Navigate to your email inbox and verify your email address by clicking the link. 

Executing a will is the technical term for signing a will and making it legally binding. ... To execute a will in any state in the United States, you must 1) sign the document while you have the capacity to know what you're doing, and 2) have two people sign the will as witnesses.

You can use the "My will progress" menu on the right of the page to go back and forth between the different sections in your will by selecting the desired section. 

You can always continue your will by going to wills.com > Logging into your account > and select continue my Will. 

This will take you back to where you left off. 

When creating a will, you must possess the legal competency or mental capacity to do so.  Otherwise, the will may not be considered valid by the court. However, simply because someone has a mental illness or disease, that does not mean they automatically lack the required mental capacity.  In fact, if the testator has periods of clarity, he or she could still be considered competent at the time the will is executed, if it occurs during that period of lucidity.