Everyone is going to die; that’s a fact. And everyone should have a will. That’s another fact. If you die without a will, the probate court will decide what happens to your assets; you won’t.
My father died about 15 years ago. He left a will he had prepared himself, typed on his old electric typewriter and had a few friends sign as witnesses. I don’t know how he decided what to put in the will and the wording to use. All I know is that after he died, when I tried to probate the will, there were some problems with it and it took a while to get them resolved.
If you don’t want to go to an attorney to have a will prepared that you know will be written properly, you should at least be aware of some common mistakes that you should avoid.
I recently came across a blog on findlaw.com that clearly describes 10 of the most common mistakes. You should definitely read it so you don’t make the same mistakes my dad did.
For further information about wills, trusts, probate and end of life planning go to www.diesmart.com.