What is a will?

A will is a document that tells how your assets pass when you die and that names the person(s) who will handle your estate. A will speaks as of the time of death and has no effect at all while you are alive. A will can be revoked or changed during your lifetime as long as you are competent. Once someone reaches the point that they don't know who their relatives are, don't know what they own, or can't understand that in signing a will they would be leaving their property to the beneficiaries they name, they no longer can make a will. Every adult should have a will in place to make things easy for their loved ones.