Wills and Estate Planning Forms
Download easy-to-use Will Kits, estate planning checklists, and provisional will clauses to help you write your Last Will and Testament. You can also find forms for executors.
Why You Need to Make a Will
If you own property or assets, you need to make a will. If you die intestate (without a legal will in place), your loved ones may be left with no choice but to apply to the court for letters of administration. The court will then decide how your estate will be divided up among your heirs. That division will be done in accordance with the laws of succession that govern in your area, and it may not be the way you would have distributed your property if you had had any say in the matter.
If you want to be the one who makes those decisions, you must make a properly executed will before you die. Your Last Will and Testament will then dictate who the beneficiaries of your estate will be, and how much of your estate each of them will receive.
Estate Planning Forms for Everyone
Even if you do not own a lot of assets or property, a good estate plan is essential to ensure that all of them are dealt with in your will and trusts (if any), and to assist your executors after your death in distributing your estate assets according to your wishes.
Additional Resources
Marilyn Monroe Last Will
Download this free copy of the Last Will of Marilyn Monroe (1926-1962).
- Marilyn Monroe, an American actress, singer and model, was born Norma Jeane Mortenson, but baptized Norma Jeane Baker.
- After spending much of her childhood in foster homes, Monroe began a career as a model, which led to a film contract in 1946. Her early roles were minor, but her performances in The Asphalt Jungle and All About Eve (both 1950) were well received.
- She was praised for her comedic ability in such films as Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, How to Marry a Millionaire, Some Like It Hot and The Seven Year Itch, and became one of Hollywood's most popular and glamorous performers.
- The typecasting of Monroe's "dumb blonde" persona limited her career prospects, so she broadened her range. She studied at the Actors Studio and formed Marilyn Monroe Productions. Her dramatic performance in William Inge's Bus Stop was hailed by critics, and she won a Golden Globe Award for her performance in Some Like it Hot.
- The final years of Monroe's life were marked by illness, personal problems, and a reputation for being unreliable and difficult to work with. The circumstances of her death, from an overdose of barbiturates, have been the subject of conjecture. Though officially classified as a "probable suicide," the possibility of an accidental overdose, as well as the possibility of homicide, have not been ruled out.
- In 1999, Monroe was ranked as the sixth greatest female star of all time by the American Film Institute.
Biographical material taken from Wikipedia.com.
Mark Twain Last Will
Download a free copy of the Last Will of Samuel Clemens, aka Mark Twain (1835-1910).
- Samuel Clemens, better known to the world as Mark Twain, was an American-born author and humorist best known for his novels The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, which has been called "the Great American Novel". His writings reflected his childhood growing up in Missouri and his experiences as a steamboat pilot on the Mississippi River.
- After serving briefly in the Confederate militia, Clemens moved out west and became a reporter. It was then that he adopted the pseudonym Mark Twain, a riverboat pilot's slang phrase that means the water is at least two fathoms deep and easy to traverse.
- Mark Twain's keen wit and biting satire earned praise from critics and peers, and his humor made him a very popular figure with royalty, presidents and common folk alike.
- He went bankrupt in the depression of 1893-94 and, intent on paying back his debts, he wrote a number of works to recoup his funds. When he died in 1910, he was lauded as the greatest American humorist of his age, and William Faulkner called him "the father of American literature".
- Clemens was born on November 30, 1835, exactly two weeks after the perihelion of Haley's Comet, which appears every 75 years. He died on April 21, 1910, the day following the comet's next perihelion.
- He remains one of the most popular American writers of all time.
Source: Wikipedia.org
Martha Washington Last Will and Testament
Read a free copy of the Last Will & Testament of Martha Washington (1731-1802).
- Martha Dandridge Custis Washington was the wife of George Washington, the first president of the United States.
- Although the title was not coined until after her death, Martha Washington is considered to be the first First Lady of the United States. During her lifetime, she was known as "Lady Washington".
Michael Jackson Last Will and Testament
Download a free copy of the Last Will and Testament of Michael Jackson (1958-2009).
- Michael Joseph Jackson was an American musician, dancer, and entertainer with enormous international impact as a pop culture icon. Known worldwide as the King of Pop, he is the most commercial successful entertainer of all time.
- His 1982 album Thriller remains the best-selling album in history. He is widely credited with having transformed the music video from a promotional tool into an art form.
- One of the few artists to have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice, his other achievements feature multiple Guinness World Records, 13 Grammy Awards, 26 American Music Awards (24 only as a solo artist, including one for 'Artist of the Century') more than any artist, 17 number one singles in the US (including the four as a member of the Jackson 5), and estimated sales between 350 million and 750 million records worldwide making him one of the best selling artists in musical history.
- While preparing for the This Is It concert tour in 2009, Jackson died at the age of 50 after suffering from cardiac arrest. He reportedly had been administered drugs such as propofol and lorazepam, and his death was ruled a homicide by the Los Angeles County coroner. His death triggered an outpouring of grief from around the world with his globally live broadcast memorial service attracting an audience of up to one billion people.
Biographical material taken from Wikipedia.com.
Mississippi Simple Last Will and Testament
Make a will leaving everything to your spouse with this simple Will Form for Mississippi residents.
- This fully editable template allows you to appoint your spouse as executor and to leave all of your estate to your spouse.
- If your spouse does not survive you, the estate would be shared out among your children or their surviving children.
- The Will also has a clause to appoint a guardian for minor children.
- Available as a MS Word document template.
- Intended to be used only in the State of Mississippi.
If you're looking for a more comprehensive will form and estate plan, you can use our USA Legal Will Kit.
Myles Standish Last Will and Testament
Download a free copy of the Last Will and Testament of Captain Myles Standish (1584-1656).
- According to Wikipedia.com, Myles Standish (aka Miles Standish) was an English born military officer hired by the Pilgrims as military advisor for the Plymouth colony. After arriving at Plymouth on the Mayflower, he worked on colonial defense.
- In 1622, he was appointed the first commander of Plymouth colony. Later, he served as Plymouth's representative in England, and served as assistant governor and as the colony's treasurer.
- Standish is often remembered for his bravery in battle and his reputation as the military captain of the Pilgrims, as well as his appearance as a character in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's fictitious poem "The Courtship of Miles Standish".
- The former Fort Standish, located on Lovell's Island, Massachusetts, was named in his honor, as well as the town of Standish, Maine.
Napoleon Bonaparte Last Will and Testament
This is a copy of the Last Will and Testament of Napoleon Bonaparte (Napoleon I) (1769-1821).
- Napoleon, French emperor and military genius, established his reputation during the Revolutionary wars in northern Italy.
- His marriage in 1796 to Josephine de Beauharnais helped him to political power.
- In 1799 he was appointed First Consul, then in 1892 became Consul for life and was virtual dictator of France, crowning himself Emperor in 1804.
- After campaigns against Austria and Russia drained his strength and virtually destroyed his Grand Army, Napoleon abdicated in 1814. He was defeated at Waterloo in 1815 and imprisoned on St. Helena, where he died.
Nevada Deed Upon Death Forms Package
Avoid probate of your real estate upon your death by recording a Deed Upon Death with the appropriate County in the State of Nevada.
- This package contains two forms:
- Deed Upon Death form, and
- Revocation of Deed Upon Death form to cancel the transfer.
- Even though you are transferring the title deed into the beneficiary's name, you will still have rights to the property for as long as you live. That means you can deal with the property in any way you like, without having to get the permission or consent of the beneficiary.
- These are downloadable legal forms which you can fill in and sign in front of a Notary.
- Intended to be used only in the State of Nevada.
New Jersey Executor's Deed
If a deceased person owned real estate property in New Jersey, the executor of the estate can file this Executor's Deed in order to transfer ownership of the property.
- The person signing the Deed as grantor must be the person who is acting as executor (personal representative) of the estate.
- The property is transferred to the grantee named in the Deed for the amount stated, and the grantor acknowledges receipt of the amount.
- The form is available in MS Word format. If there are several properties to be transferred, you can use this template for each one.
- For use only in the State of New Jersey.
New Mexico Affidavit of Heirship
Prepare an Affidavit of Heirship for estate property in New Mexico with this template form.
- The Affidavit of Heirship is required to establish ownership of any estate property that is not identified in a Will.
- The Affidavit sets out all of the potential heirs of the deceased person.
- If there is real property involved, the Affidavit may need to be recorded in the official land records, .
