* Decide if you need an attorney. There are do-it-yourself kits such as Suze Orman Will & Trust CD-Rom that can be found on nolo.com. Basically, an attorney helps if someone in the family disputes the will as the attorney will keep a second copy and can act on your behalf, even after death, if you request it. If you strongly feel that no one would contest the will, you don’t need an attorney. If you want to be safe, enlist the help of one. If you don’t hire an attorney, make sure your executors know where you have kept your latest will.
* You need to sign and acknowledge your will in front of two witnesses (three in Vermont).
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I really like this article Laura. I can really appreciate the advice you share with readers here, for if it wasn't for my father's smart planning, my life would've been in shambles. My mother would've had to deal with so much more than she already had to when my father died. People need to face the fact that the unexpected can happen any day and it is their duty to take responsibility for their family's well being and not let their well earned life savings fall into the wrong hands.
It feels good to write.
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