Estate lawyers in Queens agree that a will is the most crucial document a person will write in their lifetime. A will is an essential part of your estate plan and determines who will get your assets in the future. Having a will also makes the probate process easier and quicker for a deceased person’s inheritors, adding to the importance of drafting a will. However, writing a will and notarizing it once isn’t enough. You also have to make changes in the will to keep it up-to-date. Here are some life events which require a will update.
You’ve Moved to Another State
If you’ve moved to another estate recently, you should update your will as soon as possible. You wrote and administered your will in your previous state, and the laws of that state will apply to your current will when you pass away. Therefore, it’s essential to review the laws of your current state and make changes to your will accordingly.
States have different estate planning and probate laws; an example is the number of witnesses required to sign a will. If you moved from a state where you had only one witness sign your will to a state where two witnesses have to sign your will, getting another witness to sign is a must! If you don’t, your executor might face challenges distributing your assets after you pass away.
Your Financial Situation Has Changed
If your will states precisely how much you want to give to your beneficiaries, you must update your will if your assets increase or decrease. You might also want to make changes in your will if the value of assets has changed a lot since the time you wrote the will. A will that misses out on these aspects and isn’t up-to-date can get challenged in the court.
A Beneficiary Has Died (And It’s Not Your Spouse)
It’s standard for a will to include the name of beneficiaries. However, if one or more of your beneficiaries passes away in your lifetime, you have to replace or remove the name. This doesn’t apply if your primary beneficiary is your spouse. A will already includes the names of alternate beneficiaries if the spouse passes away before you.
Hire an Estate Law Attorney in Brooklyn
If you need your will updated, hire an estate lawyer in Queens. At Ledwidge and Associates, we offer services for estate planning in Manhattan, where we help our clients make changes to their wills. In addition, we ensure that the wills are well-drafted and include all the necessary information that would save them from getting rejected or challenged in the probate court.
Reach out to us and update your wills with the help of our estate law attorney in Brooklyn.
Ledwidge & Associates
