by Conny Manero

Created on: February 27, 2011   Last Updated: December 23, 2011

It is not something most people like to think about, much less do, but creating a will is necessary to avoid stress and frustration among your family and friends after your death.  Creating a do-it-yourself will is fairly easy and will give you peace of mind.  Should you die without a will, your loved ones may get into arguments over who gets what or the courts will divide your property according to the law.  By writing a will, you can avoid all that and at the same time specify who gets what.

The first thing to do when writing a do-it-yourself will is to identify yourself.  In addition to your name, you may want to include your address, your date of birth and if applicable the name of your partner.

You need to state that you are of sound mind and writing this testament out of your own free will.  This may seem rather obvious to you, but it is important that this paragraph is included in your will.

You will need to name an executor of your will.  This person should be aware of this nomination, willing to accept the responsibility and given a copy of your will.  To be on the safe side, you might also want to name a second executor as a backup.

In your will you need to make plans for minor children.  As a parent, it is important that you name a guardian for your children and make financial arrangements.  You will need to discuss your plans with the intended guardian so that he is aware and willing to take on this responsibility. If you are particularly fond of your pets, you may also want to include them in your will because these loved ones are often overlooked.

Where it comes to distributing assets, you need to be specific about who gets what.  If you would like to leave specific items to individuals, you need to name the beneficiaries.  These items need not be particularly valuable, they can be ordinary things, but if you want to be sure that a certain item goes to a specific person, you need to name that person.

Finally, you need to have your will witnessed.  The witnessing process is different from state to state or country to country, so check with the authorities.  Some states will only required the document to be witnessed by two witnesses, while others may require that it is notarized.

Make copies of the will and give one to the executor of your will, one to the intended guardian of your children and/or pets, and keep one in a safe place where it can easily be found.

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