Will substitutes are functionally indistinguishable from a will because the death beneficiary receives assets at the death of the donor and will substitutes convey no lifetime benefits (personal enjoyment) to the death beneficiary during the lifetime...
wills
wills: attestation requirement
Wills must be attested (witnessed) in order to be valid. The witness must acknowledge the will. Most states require more than one witness.
wills: signature requirement
Wills must be signed in order to be valid. Some states require that the signature appear at the end of the document, while other states allow the signature to appear anywhere on the document.
wills: writing requirement
Wills must be in writing in order to be valid, but not necessarily paper. The writing requirement is met long as the will is written in some more or less permanent medium.
words of procreation
Words of procreation are a language in a will or deed that indicates a transfer of property to one person and that person's descendants. Typically, the words are used as "to A and the heirs of his body," where A is the person who inherits the...