Writing a will: the basics

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• Do you have children under 18? NoYes

Items on the list: 19 of 19 · Show all

Work through the list in order. Hide the notes when you know what to do.

1. List everything worth accounting for

   Property, accounts, investments, the car, valuables, and digital assets (crypto, domains, accounts holding real money) — the digital ones get forgotten precisely because they're not physical.

2. List debts and outstanding obligations too

   A will deals with the whole estate, not just the assets — an unlisted debt becomes a problem for whoever inherits.

3. Decide on your executor

   Someone organized and willing — and ask them BEFORE naming them. It's a real job with paperwork and deadlines, not just an honorary title.

4. Name a backup executor

   In case the first one can't serve when the time actually comes.

5. Name a legal guardian for minor children Yes

   And talk to that person first — for many parents, this single item is the reason they finally get a will done.

6. Consider a trust or staged inheritance instead of a lump sum at 18 Yes

   If a full lump sum at 18 isn't what you want, ask a lawyer about trust or age-staged options.

7. Decide specific bequests versus a general split

   The more specifically it's spelled out who gets what, the less room there is for disputes between heirs.

8. Check beneficiary designations on accounts and policies

   In most places, joint accounts and named beneficiaries on insurance or retirement accounts pass automatically and override the will — update those separately.

9. Check what makes a will legally valid where you live

   Witnesses, notarization, whether a handwritten will counts — rules vary a lot, verify the current requirements rather than trusting a generic template.

10. Decide whether to use a lawyer, notary, or will-writing service

    Property abroad, a blended family, business ownership — complexity usually tips the choice toward a lawyer rather than a generic template.

11. Ask about a separate will if you own assets in more than one country

    Conflicting wills across jurisdictions can invalidate each other — ask a lawyer familiar with both countries involved.

12. Note funeral wishes in a separate, faster-to-find document

    The will itself may not be read until after the funeral — keep ceremony preferences somewhere that gets found faster.

13. Store the signed original somewhere safe

    And tell your executor exactly where — a perfect will nobody can find is as good as no will at all.

14. Tell a second trusted person where it is

    Not just the executor — in case something happens to them too, or they're unreachable when it matters.

15. Set a reminder to review the will after major life events

    Marriage, divorce, a new child, a major asset change, moving country — each is a trigger to check it's still accurate.

16. Check how divorce or remarriage affects an existing will

    In several jurisdictions it automatically voids part of the will — check the local rule and update the document promptly.

17. Note care wishes for pets if you have them

    Who's agreed to take them — in most legal systems a pet is property, not an heir, and needs its own explicit line.

18. Consider a power of attorney and healthcare directive alongside the will

    A different document, but the same logic: have it ready before you need it, not drafted in the middle of a crisis.

19. Talk to family about the broad shape of your decisions

    Disputes usually come from surprise, not from the decisions themselves — talking about it in advance defuses most of the future tension.