How do I go about doing a will? Do I have to go to a lawyer, or can I write up something myself and have it notarized? If I do go to a lawyer, how much will it cost?
I don’t have a lawyer, I have only needed one once and I didn’t really like the guy personally, and I’d like to avoid another lawyer if that is possible.
Basically, I’m a single person, never marrried, with no children or other dependents, and I don’t want to do anything complicated like will every single piece of my property to different people (i.e. none of this: “My diamond earrings go to my cousin, my sapphire necklace goes to my niece”), I want a simple will leaving all my stuff to one person.
Don’t just try to “wing it:” wills must meet certain legal requirements, and if the stuff you write up doesn’t pass muster, it’ll just be tossed out of probate court.
If you just want to do a simple will, you don’t need a lawyer. You can do it yourself, as long as you’re not trying to name guardians for your minor children, set up complicated “to X, but if X doesn’t marry before 21, then to Y” kind of stuff. But to do it yourself, you need to know how to do it right.
Best source: www.nolo.com, which has all sorts of information. It would be worth it to buy one of their books on doing your own will - I’ve found their stuff to be excellent. Also check with your local library. They’ll almost certainly have a legal forms book for your state, which has all of the tried-and-true clauses for things like wills (i.e., the verbiage that has been tested by various court cases, and has stood the test of time).
Another good option is to get a copy of the will of a friend or relative (also somebody in WI, just to be sure), a will that was prepared by a lawyer, and just copy it, changing things to match your situation.