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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.
Learn About Revoking, Challenging or Changing a Will
  • 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.

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