Totally free Last Will and Testament template and instructions, for parents
A year or so ago I went through the frustrating process of making a will. Frustrating because it wasn't easy, unless I wanted to spend a bunch of money on a lawyer, or a bunch of money on (subscription!) software, or a bunch of money on software that used various dark patterns to trick me into spending that money. But this is something that's important, and relatively standard, and should be easy and free.
So I took it upon myself to learn the law about wills, and develop my own. I used many sources, including my previous will (developed by a lawyer!), reading the law (in Ohio), and various free resources online. I also had many conversations with ChatGPT about the particulars of what those templates said, and made many edits that I thought were improvements.
That last sentence has maybe scared you off! And maybe it should - I am not a lawyer, and I offer no guarantees that this will is suitable for you. Heck, it might not even be suitable for me!
But I think I've done a good job with this template. I'm a thoughtful, careful, organized person, with experience reading and writing contracts, and negotiating agreements between multiple parties. I did this work to protect my own family.
And I recently learned that various family and friends of mine - parents with minor children - don't have a will! To my mind, that's a tragedy - if both parents die, those kids will end up with whatever the state government thinks is best for them, with no input from their parents.
That seems like a poor inheritance to give your kids, if you leave them unexpectedly.
Having no will also makes life much, much harder on whoever ends up being responsible for administering your estate (e.g. all your money and stuff).
So I've touched up this template, added instructions, and made it available here for you to use! It's free, and I ask nothing in return. Just use it, and make a will, and protect your kids. Maybe let me know if you do.
The template is a Google Doc, and you're meant to make a copy of it.
And I am not a lawyer. You are responsible for whatever you write in your will, not me.
Click here: Free will template for parents