Congratulations on beginning the process of learning how to complete your will.

First, a last will and testament is a legal statement by which a person can decide what happens to their money, property, and possessions after they die.

Here are some of the ways to do it:

• A will attorney – This is a legal specialist in writing a will. A Wills and Trusts attorney can figure it all out for you so you don’t need to know anything about it. They can create a will for you that meets all legal requirements and can tailor your will and testament to suit your needs and circumstances.

• Online Wills – These are websites that have software programs for writing wills online which typically involve entering answers to a series of questions and then compiling your answers into a will ready for you to print at the end of the process. Some sites will also have a legal professional who specializes in wills and probate law to verify it before the printing stage.

• Software to write wills: obviously they are computer programs. They work similarly to online wills; you put the data and the program makes the will for you. The difference here is that you buy and keep the will drafting software program.

• A will kit – these will have a will form or collection of will forms where you can fill in the blanks by hand. They usually have a set of instructions to help you know what to write and where to write it. Some are in computer format so you don’t have to fill them out by hand. There is a wide variety of tangible, physical and computer based products such as books and packs available in this regard.

• A Will Template or Will Form – These are similar to the beginning of the Will Kit in that you have a Will and Testament form, electronic or physical, that you fill in the blanks. The difference here is that there are no instructions on which template to use for your circumstances or even a guide on how to complete it. There are plenty of will templates and forms available online or given out by some organizations often for free because it really is a do it yourself approach, it’s all up to you to figure it out.

You get different levels of help and assistance with the different options mentioned above. Generally speaking, like most things in life, the more help you want, the higher the costs will generally be.

The cost of making a will ranges from zero cost to a full do-it-yourself template; from five to one hundred for intermediate products and services; all the way up to a few hundred for in-depth help from a probate lawyer. Remember that probate lawyers’ costs are generally based on time, so the better prepared you are before meeting with them, the less time they will need to spend with you. For this reason, some wills and trust attorneys may offer set prices for wills that follow a standard format.