Writing your own will- Template

^{If you don’t want to hire a lawyer or haven’t much time, follow our guidelines:}

^{LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT OF}

                      ^{JOHN DOE} 

^{I, John Doe, being of sound and disposing mind do hereby make, publish and declare the following to be my last will and testament revoking all previous wills and codicils by me.}

^{NO BOND OR OTHER SECURITY OF ANY KIND SHALL BE REQUIRED OF ANY PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVE APPOINTED IN THIS WILL.}

^{My personal representative, whether original, substitute, or successor, shall hereafter also be referred to as my “executor”}

^{I direct that my executor pay all of my funeral expenses, all state and federal estate, inheritance and succession taxes, administration costs and all of my debts subject to statute of limitations, except mortgage notes sealed by real estate, as soon as practical.}

^{My executor shall have the following additional powers, with respect to my estate, to be exercised from time to time at my executor’s discretion without further license or order of any court.}

                 ^{Property of My Estate}

^{To retain any and all property and securities of my estate in the name of my executor as executor or in my executor’s own name. To retain all property and securities of my estate for as long as my executor deems advisable.}

                 ^{Management of Estate}

^{To invest, lease, mortgage, insure, repair, improve or sell any and all real and personal property belonging to my estate as my executor deems advisable}

                        ^{Mortgages, Pledges and Deeds of Trust}

 ^{To enforce any and all mortgages, pledges and deeds of trust held by my estate and to purchase at any sale thereafter any such real or personal property subject to any mortgage, pledge, or deed of trust.}

                      ^Litigation

^{To initiate or defend, at my executor’s discretion, any litigation affecting my estate.}

                   ^{Attorneys, Advisors and Agents}

^{To employ and pay from my estate reasonable compensation to such attorneys, accountants, brokers, and investment, tax and other advisors as my executor shall deem advisable.}

                    ^{Adjustment of Claims}

^{To submit to arbitration, to compromise or to release or otherwise adjust with or without compensation, any and all claims affecting the trust estate.}

                        ^{Distribution of My Estate}

   ^{In distributing my estate to make distribution wholly or partly in kind by transferring or allotting such real or personal property or undivided interest therein.}

^{If any person, whether or not related to me by blood in any way, shall attempt, either directly or indirectly to set aside the probate of my will or oppose the provisions thereof, and such person shall establish a right to any portion of my estate, then I give and bequeath the sum of one dollar ($1.00) only that, and no further interest whatever in my estate to such person.}

^{If any portion of my will shall be held illegal, invalid or otherwise inoperative, it is my intention that all of the other provisions hereof shall continue to be fully effective and operative insofar as it is possible and reasonable.}

^Bequests

^{I leave my retirement accounts, house on 34 Oak Street and my 1997 Nissan Sentra to my wife, Jane Doe.}

^{I leave 10,000 in cash to my son, John Doe Junior.}

^{The remainder of my estate, four thousand shares of Enron stock, is to be given to the American Cancer Society.}           

^{IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereto set my hand and seal this nineteenth day of November, 2002.}

 ^{John James Doe}

^{Witnesses names and signatures and Witnesses address.}

^{Bill Smith
3643 Clark Place
Rye New York}

^{Harpo Marx
Hollywood}