As life changes, your estate plan should change with it — but that doesn’t always mean starting from scratch. A Codicil is an amendment to an existing Will and can be an option for minor changes.

As life changes, your estate plan should change with it — but that doesn’t always mean starting from scratch. A Codicil is a legal amendment to an existing Will and can be an appropriate option for relatively minor changes, such as updating a Personal Representative, changing a specific gift, or adding a beneficiary. However, if your Will has already been amended multiple times, or if you have experienced major life events like marriage, divorce, the birth or adoption of children or grandchildren, or significant changes in your assets, preparing a completely new Will is often the better choice. A new Will is typically easier for your loved ones to understand, reduces the risk of confusion or inconsistencies, and helps avoid disputes during probate. An experienced lawyer can help determine whether a simple Codicil will accomplish your goals or whether replacing your existing Will is the more effective and cost-efficient solution.

If you have questions about making changes to your estate plan, give us a call at 253.858.5434 to see how we can help.