What would it cost me to make a will?

Depending on your location and estate, the cost varies between $500 to $1000 if you hire a lawyer. However, you can use the TrulyWill platform to create a legal and valid will at a fraction of this price.

What does a personal representative/executor do?

The executor of your will would be responsible for managing and settling your estate distribution after you pass away. It's always better to name a trusted adult as your personal representative

Do I need to have a certain amount of money to make a will?

No, there's no minimum limit of money you need to have to make your last will. It would dispose of any assets you leave to the beneficiaries.

Is it an expensive procedure to make a will?

Traditional will-making processes can be pretty expensive. However, with online tools and platforms, you can do it in an affordable way.

How should I store my will?

You should always store your last will and testament in a safe place, one which is accessible to your loved ones and doesn't pose any risk to the documents. It can be a safe locker or a safe in your home.

All the requirements for a Last Will and Testament Louisiana

Making your legal Louisiana last will and testament following your state requirements might seem like a lengthy task you'd prefer to do tomorrow. However, you should prepare for the uncertainty and provide for your loved ones if something happens. It would be all your decision for who would get what and how your estate would be managed. If you don't make a legal last will, these decisions might end up with someone unaware of your family relations. Either way, you shouldn't leave this task for the next time and begin the work. It is more accessible now with a considerable knowledge base and online platforms that create your online last will within minutes.

That's why making a valid will following your state requirements is essential. If you are from Louisiana, here's what you should follow:

Requirements for Louisiana Last Will and Testament

Written will: A Louisiana last will and testament must be on paper to be legal. Louisiana also allows Holographic wills.
Age limit: Louisiana doesn't impose any age limit restrictions on the testator.
Capacity: There are no specific conditions regarding the mental capacity to make a Louisiana Last Will and Testament.
Signed by the testator: To make the will legally enforceable, you need to sign your Louisiana last will and testament before two witnesses and a notary.
Signed by the witnesses: You must have at least two witnesses for a Louisiana will. They must acknowledge and sign Louisiana will before you and each other.

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“Should have done this before, had made it up to be really hard in my head. This was super easy!”

Who can be your witnesses for a Louisiana Last Will and Testament?

Your witnesses for a Louisiana last will must follow these conditions:

The witnesses should be at least 16 years of age.
The witnesses should be mentally and physically capable of the job, i.e., an insane person cannot be a witness.
A person who is blind, deaf, or unable to sign their name cannot be a witness to Louisiana's last will and testament.
They should be able to testify about what they saw and the will-making process.
It's better not to select beneficiaries as witnesses as they could lose their gift or estate portion. You could use a beneficiary if there are two other disinterested witnesses.

Louisiana rules for a personal representative or an executor

Choosing an executor for your Louisiana last will would be better than leaving it to uncertainty. However, an executor should follow these guidelines to be eligible for the role:

Must be at least 18 or above
Capable of performing the job, i.e., of a sound mind.
Louisiana restricts people convicted of a felony under any federal or state law from being executors.
Louisiana allows you to choose someone out of state if they choose an in-state agent.

Last will and Testament Notarization in Louisiana

You have to notarize your Louisiana last will and testament. You should follow these steps for the same:

Meet all the conditions for making a legal will.
You and your two eligible witnesses must sign the will in front of a registered notary public.
You and the witnesses need to present authentic identity proof before signing.

Louisiana last Will Revocation

You could follow any of these methods to revoke your Louisiana last will and testament:

Destroy your last will by tearing, burning, obliterating, and shredding with the intent of destroying.
Making a new legal will that revokes any part or the entire previous will.
Making new writing declaring the revocation of previous Louisiana last will and testament.

Louisiana last Will Amendment Rules

If you wish to make some minor and simple changes to your Louisiana last will, you can do it through a Codicil. It will allow you to introduce changes to your existing will and avoid revoking it.

However, you must follow the same guidelines to make a legal codicil as for an original will. If you want to make multiple amendments, it's better to make a new will that revokes the previous one.

What happens if you don't have a will in Louisiana?

Case	What happens
Has children, no spouse	Children inherit everything
Has a spouse, no children, no parents, no siblings	Spouse inherits everything
Has parents, no children,no siblings, no spouse	Parents inherit everything
Has siblings, no parents, no children, no spouse	Siblings inherit everything
Has a spouse and children	The spouse can use your share of the community property for their life Children inherit your personal or separate property, and the share of your community property subject to your spouse's right of using it for their life
Has a spouse and siblings, no parents	Spouse gets all of the community property Your siblings inherit the personal or separate property
Has parents and siblings, no spouse,	Your parents can use your intestate property for their life Your siblings inherit the balance
Has a spouse and parents	Spouse gets all of the community property Your parents inherit the personal or separate property

Last Will and Testament Louisiana Free Template

You can quickly create a simple estate plan by downloading a Last Will and Testament Louisiana free template. It will be the best option if you don't have a large estate or complicated finances. You could check out the template and follow the necessary requirements to make your new Louisiana last will and testament. Once you go through the details and follow the required steps:

Connect on TrulyWill and create your account.
Discuss any issues or complications about your finances and personal relationships with our attorneys.
Sign or notarize the document, depending on your state requirements.

This template and sample last will and testament would allow you to examine what your will would look like. You can change the will template depending on your personal preferences for estate distribution.

Some instances where it would be prudent to consult our experts before finalizing your will would be when you have a high net worth or complicated family and personal relationships. We also provide additional services for those unique requests:

Online expert support: You can connect with our experts online and clear your doubts.
Attorney support: For some specific and unique requirements, we also offer additional attorney support services for your will and trust.

If you're facing any of these issues, it's essential to consult an expert before proceeding. They could personally help you out with any doubts and create a solid and legally enforceable Louisiana last will and testament.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Jennifer Mcgee

Parent to five young children. Expert in Estate Planning, Probate, and Family Law Matters. Volunteer with Victim’s Advocates in the local sheriff's department...