What this document does:

• Says who receives your property when you die.
• Names an Executor (personal representative) to carry that out, and lets you name a guardian for minor children.
• Includes a Self-Proving Affidavit, signed in front of a notary, which can speed up probate.

What’s inside:
Eleven articles: family information, payment of debts and taxes, appointment of your Executor (with a successor named in case your first choice can’t serve), guardian nomination for minor children, specific gifts, residuary estate, a 30-day survivorship provision, your Executor’s powers (including authority over digital assets and independent administration without court supervision where your state allows it), and severability. Signature lines for two witnesses, plus a notary acknowledgment for the Self-Proving Affidavit.

Before you sign:
Most states require two witnesses, adults who are not named as a beneficiary and not your spouse, signing in your presence and each other’s. The Self-Proving Affidavit is signed in front of a notary after the will itself is signed and witnessed. A will only controls property that doesn’t already have its own beneficiary named: life insurance, retirement accounts, and any account with a payable-on-death or transfer-on-death designation pass to whoever is named there, regardless of what the will says, so check those separately.

Talk to a licensed attorney before you sign if you have unusual family circumstances, own property in more than one state, or want provisions this template doesn’t cover, like a trust for a beneficiary with special needs.

Orderly Affairs LLC provides self-help legal document templates. We are not a law firm, we are not your attorney, and using this kit does not create an attorney-client relationship. This is a general template; while a licensed attorney has reviewed it in general form, no attorney has reviewed it for your individual circumstances or your state’s specific requirements. You are responsible for signing, witnessing, and, where applicable, notarizing this document the way your state requires.

Digital Download: Delivered as an instant PDF download after checkout, plus a confirmation email with your download link. This is a print-and-complete document: it does not have interactive fillable form fields, so you print it and fill in the blanks by hand, or open it in PDF or word-processing software to type over the blanks before printing. Available worldwide.

Printed & Shipped: Printed and shipped to you: a Last Will and Testament Kit on standard paper in a flat mailer. Ships within the continental United States, plus carrier shipping calculated at checkout; international shipping for the printed kit is not currently available (the digital download is). You still need to sign it in front of the required witnesses and store the signed original somewhere your Executor can find it when needed.