About Wills and Living Trusts

The U.S. Will Registry works closely with the American Bar Association. Click here to review the article published in 2019. The U.S. Will Registry allows your living trust, estate planning document, or will location to be uploaded in a searchable and accessible manner.

Unless a will is registered, there is no way of being certain that it can be located when needed. There is no right place to store valuable documents such as wills, trusts, or advance directive forms, but if their locations are registered in an online, searchable, and easily accessible manner, the chances of them being lost declines.

Once your will or trust is registered, you will be sent an email with a certificate and wallet cards. It is also recommended that you inform your family, friends, and lawyer that your estate planning documents are registered.

It is up to you to decide when to change your will. It is suggested that you review your will once a year to ensure that it still meets your needs. Any life-changing event, such as the birth of a child, the death of a beneficiary, or a change in marital status should cause you to review and modify your will.

The U.S. Will Registry, Inc. is the only national centralized Last Will Registry exclusively for the United States. Once you register, your information is secured and unable to be retrieved without the necessary legal documentation.

In short, everybody needs a will or trust. Some people believe that because they only have a few assets, or because they told their children how their assets are to be divided, they don't need either. If you have kids, a home, pets or personal possession, you need a will.

There are a number of risks associated with not having a registered will, including it being assumed that you don't have one. You also risk that your beneficiaries do not receive what you intended to give them.

The Revocable Living Trust allows you to put your wishes and affairs only in the hands of the people that you trust. The advantages of a Living Trust is that they avoid probate, are amenable or revocable, and keep your estate information private.

The U.S. Will Registry registers the name of the attorney who prepared your will, the beneficiary, and the location of the Will. The U.S. Will Registry does not keep a copy of the will itself. We only release the uploaded information once a death certificate is provided.

The U.S. Will Registry does not accept a copy of your Last Will. Our goal is to assure your family that upon your passing, they have a resource for locating your Will.

A will doesn't have to be prepared by an attorney to be legally effective. However, most people feel more comfortable if they consult with an attorney who can make sure their intentions are clearly stated and that they haven't missed important details.

Making it easy for family members, caregivers, executors, and heirs means that they will be able to do exactly as you wish. Two of the most important documents that are easily overlooked are your life insurance policy (especially policies from former employers) and any retirement plans (as well as annuities and pensions).