Revoking, Challenging or Changing a Will
If you already have a will, one of the most common estate planning mistakes you can make is failing to update it when major life changes occur -- such as births, deaths, or divorce. If you fail to change or update your will, you may risk having a child with no inheritance right to your property, or end up passing on your property to an ex-spouse years after you separated. This section provides information on how to revoke, challenge, or change a will. You’ll find resources and articles on who can change a will, your rights under inheritance law, a checklist of reasons to update your will, and more. Choose from the list of articles below to get started.
- Changing a Will
A guide to changing your will. Learn about the circumstances in which you should update your will, including marriage, common law marriage, divorce, moving to a common law property state, and more.
- How to Revoke a Will
There are a number of reasons why you may want to revoke a will. This article offers several ways to do so, including destroying the old will, creating a new will, or making changes to an existing will.
- Checklist: Reasons to Update Your Will
While marriage and divorce are obvious points at which you should change your will, there are a number of lesser-known reasons to update as well. Use this checklist to determine whether it’s time to update.
- Reasons to Challenge a Will
While challenging a will can be an extremely difficult process, there are certain circumstances in which a challenge may be appropriate, including where the testator lacked capacity or where fraud is involved.
- Who Can Challenge a Will?
Not everyone can challenge a will. Under probate laws, only “interested persons” may challenge a will. This article provides an explanation of who exactly has standing to challenge a will.
- Inheritance Law and Your Rights
Depending on the laws of your state, you may have the right to claim inheritance even if you weren’t included in a will. Learn about your rights under the inheritance laws of most states.