Joint Will Template

Making a Will as a married couple is surely more important than arranging your car insurance, but most people are not giving it the attention that it deserves. If you read this, you might have understood that and then it's now the time to consider spending some time on your Mutual Last Will, and we provide you the right example. After all, having this quickly drafted Joint Will would still be much better than having no Will at all.

How do Wills work for married couples?

In a marriage, it's common to create a Last Will together. Often they involve ways how to deal with assets and wishes after one spouse has died. In that way, all the couple's property will be left to the surviving spouse; and after the surviving spouse dies, the remaining will be left to the couple's children. Drafting a will can be done easily with the right Mutual Will Template at hand. This Mutual Will identifies the following basic elements: 

• Assets, real assets or tangible personal property, land, or home, etc.
• Digital assets (online accounts, cryptocurrency, social networking, or domain names),
• Cash or cashless money in various accounts that should be distributed according to your wishes.
• Designated Beneficiaries: your spouse, children, relatives, and friends who you want to receive your property.
• Executor: who will be granted the power and authority to wind up your affairs and carry out your wishes stated in the Will, as well as the extent of their discretion.
• Guardian: who will take care of your children under the age of 18 years if you and your spouse pass away unexpectedly.
• Pet Caretaker: if you have certain animals who will need to be taken care of after you pass, you should name responsible caretakers and can even designate certain funds to be used so that it does not become a financial burden on your friend.
• Probate Bonds: if you pass away without a Will, the court will appoint an Executor or Administrator to oversee the distribution of your property but a probate bond is often required to protect the heirs from any possible mismanagement or fraud -- appointing an Executor of your choosing is often coupled with a statement that you will not require them to post a probate bond.
• Residuary Estate: anything left in your estate after all debts have been paid should then be distributed according to your preferred priority Signatures: you and your witnesses must sign but check your state laws about who can serve as a witness.

Beneficiary Designations in your Last Will and important mistakes to avoid

Do not take your legacy lightly. It is easy to make a small mistake, which can become an expensive problem for the survivors. While naming a beneficiary can be an easy way to ensure your loved ones will receive assets directly, beneficiary designations can also cause many problems. It is your responsibility to make sure your Last Will is properly filled out and given to the financial company — and mistakes can be costly.

Here are seven common but critical, mistakes to avoid:

1. Not naming the specific beneficiary or beneficiaries.
2. Not taking tax into consideration.
3. Naming the wrong beneficiaries in your Will.
4. Not updating your Will over time.
5. Not considering special circumstances that can be applied.
6. Not reviewing your Will with legal and financial advisers.
7. Not placing it on an easy to find a location, or not informing your children about it.

Therefore, make multiple copies. Put one in your home safe.  Give one to each spouse or the person closest to you.  Keep one in your home safe.  Give one to your attorney, if you have one. We provide the Joint Will in a document file, that covers a myriad of contingencies, and is a framework in which you could add and modify your own provisions. Using our ready to use and easy to modify Will includes a section to arrange the Designation Of Beneficiary, so you will have more insight and time to focus on important subjects. In describing your alternate beneficiaries, you could make provision for a long list of eventualities. A more practical approach will be to compile your will, using any of our legal documents, and to update it whenever necessary.

After downloading and filling in the blanks, you can customize every detail and appearance of your document and finish in minutes. This Joint Will Template is created according to professional standards. Feel free to add and modify it according to your needs and print it out directly!

Download this Mutual & Joint Will template if you are in this situation and save yourself the time, cost, or effort and especially to prevent you from problems in the future for the people you leave behind.