Plain answers about wills, with the actual law cited
This site answers one will question per page, in plain English, and shows you the statute or court page the answer came from.
Most pages about wills either sell you something in the first paragraph or bury the answer under six headings. These do neither. Each page opens with the answer, then explains it, then lists every source we read and the date we read it — so you can check the law yourself instead of taking our word for it.
One thing to know before you start: wills are state law. There is no single national rule for how a will is signed, stored, or filed. Florida gives the person holding a will 10 days to hand it to the court after a death; California gives 30. We name the state every time we name a rule. We are a US-based independent publisher — not a law firm, and not your lawyer.
The questions
Ten pages, each one question. They were chosen by measuring which questions have real search demand and are not already locked up by a large authority site — then re-checked against a live search result on before a word was written. Nine of the ten also returned a search volume; one question is longer than the volume tool accepts, so its demand is unmeasured rather than zero.
- Who keeps the original copy of a will?
Who is supposed to hold the signed original while you are alive, and what the law makes them do with it after a death.
- Where should you store a will?
The real trade-off between a drawer, a home safe, a lawyer's vault, a bank box and the county court — and which one gets opened fastest.
- How much does estate planning cost?
The published prices, the statutory probate fees on the other side, and why the cheap document is not always the cheap outcome.
- Can a beneficiary be an executor?
In the states we read, yes — here is the actual statutory list of who cannot serve, plus the conflict worth thinking about first.
- Do wills have to be filed with the court?
After a death, yes — states set hard deadlines, from 10 days in Florida to 30 in California. Before a death is a different question.
- Does a new will override an old will?
A later will can revoke an earlier one expressly or by contradiction — but only the parts that actually conflict, unless it says otherwise.
- What happens if the original copy of a will is lost?
A missing original is not automatically a missing will — but in several states the law starts by presuming it was torn up on purpose.
- What voids a will?
The short list courts actually use: broken signing formalities, revocation, and pressure or deception on the person signing.
- What happens if a will is not filed?
The estate does not quietly settle itself. Deadlines pass, the person holding the will can be on the hook, and the property stays stuck.
- Do lawyers keep original copies of wills?
No state we read requires it; some firms offer it and some decline. What to ask before you hand over the only signed copy.
How these pages are written
Every number, deadline and rule on this site traces to a source we opened ourselves — usually a state statute, a state court’s own self-help page, the IRS, or a company’s own published price list. Two sources are secondary and we say so on the page that uses them. We do not quote blogs or content marketing, and we do not repeat a figure we could not find at its source. If a claim cannot be traced, it does not get published. There are currently 20 sources behind these pages, all read on , and each page lists the ones it used.
What you will not find here: a prediction about how your case will turn out, a form to sign, or a sentence telling you what you should do with your own estate. Those are decisions for you and a lawyer licensed where you live.
Please read
This is general information, not legal advice, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. We are not a law firm and no one here is your lawyer. Wills and estates are governed by state law, and the rules differ from one state to the next — a deadline or a form that is right in Florida can be wrong in Ohio. The statutes quoted on this site are the ones we read, cited by name so you can check them yourself. Before you sign, store, change or file anything, talk to an attorney licensed in your state, or start with your state bar’s lawyer referral service or your state court’s self-help center. More about who we are.