joint will
Couple's estate plan
A joint will is a single legal document in which two people—typically spouses—combine their testamentary wishes, both signing the same instrument.
It specifies how their shared and individual assets should be distributed after death.
Joint wills can create complications when one party dies and the survivor wishes to make changes, as courts may treat the document as a binding contract.
Most estate planners now recommend separate wills or mutual wills instead.
- executorAppointed estate manager
- testamentWritten proof or legacy
- legal documentFormally binding written record
- estate lawyerAttorney handling inheritance matters
- beneficiaryDesignated asset receiver
codicil · inheritance · family inheritance · attestation · probate · last wishes · legacy · dying together · living trust · estate planning · trust fund · marriage settlement · death and taxes · bequest · spousal rights · community property · irrevocable trust · death