A do-it-yourself will you created at the kitchen table may reflect thoughtful intentions, but a DIY will review asks a harder question: will it actually carry out those intentions when your family needs it? In Michigan, a document can look complete, contain loving directions, and still create confusion, probate delays, or conflict if it does not meet legal requirements or coordinate with the rest of your affairs.
A homemade will is not automatically a bad choice. For a person with a very simple estate and clear wishes, it may be better than having no plan at all. But a will is more than a letter explaining who should receive what. It is a legal document that may be examined closely after death, often at a time when relatives are grieving and decisions cannot be clarified with the person who wrote it.
What a DIY will review should examine
The first goal is not to criticize every form will. It is to identify whether the document is clear, legally sound, and appropriate for your family. A useful review looks beyond the pages you signed and considers how your property is owned, who is named on financial accounts, and whether your family circumstances have changed.
Was the will signed correctly?
Michigan has specific requirements for a formal will. Generally, the person making the will must sign it, or direct another person to sign for them in their conscious presence. The will must also be signed by two witnesses, with the required acknowledgment or witnessing process taking place properly.
A notary stamp does not replace the need for witnesses on a standard will. Notarization may be useful as part of a self-proving affidavit, which can help streamline probate by reducing the need to locate witnesses later. But the signing ceremony itself matters. A document signed alone, witnessed later, or witnessed by people who did not understand they were witnessing a will can invite questions.
Michigan also recognizes holographic wills in limited circumstances. These are wills where the material portions are in the testator's handwriting and the document is signed. Because handwritten documents can create uncertainty about intent, changes, and completeness, they deserve especially careful attention. A note, letter, or marked-up form is not necessarily a reliable estate plan simply because it contains a signature.
Does it name the right people clearly?
A will should identify the person responsible for handling the estate, called the personal representative in Michigan, and name an alternate if the first choice cannot serve. This role can involve gathering property, paying valid debts, communicating with beneficiaries, and working through the probate court. Choosing a reliable person is often more important than choosing the person least likely to be offended.
The document should also clearly identify beneficiaries and describe gifts in a way that can be carried out. “My savings” may sound straightforward until there are several accounts, a joint account, or an account with a payable-on-death beneficiary. “Divide everything fairly” can leave adult children with very different ideas about what fair means.
It is also wise to ask what happens if a beneficiary dies before you, cannot be located, or chooses to disclaim an inheritance. A complete plan addresses those possibilities instead of leaving family members to guess.
Does the will protect minor children?
For parents, naming a guardian for minor children is one of the most meaningful reasons to prepare a will. Without your nomination, a court will make the final decision based on the child's best interests. Your nomination gives the court important guidance about who you trust to provide care.
A DIY document should name a backup guardian as well. It should be reviewed after births, deaths, divorces, relocations, or significant changes in relationships. Parents should also consider how money left for a child will be managed. Leaving assets directly to a minor can require court involvement and may result in the child receiving funds outright at age 18. A trust-based plan can offer more control over how and when inherited assets are used.
The property a will may not control
One of the most common surprises in estate planning is that a will does not control every asset. A will generally directs property that is part of the probate estate. Other assets may pass according to a beneficiary designation, joint ownership arrangement, trust, or transfer-on-death designation.
For example, life insurance, retirement accounts, and bank accounts with named beneficiaries usually pass to those named individuals, even if the will says something different. A jointly owned home or account may pass automatically to the surviving owner, depending on how title is held. If your will leaves everything equally to three children but an outdated retirement account names only one child, the account may not be divided as the will suggests.
That does not mean beneficiary designations or joint ownership are always wrong. They can be useful tools. The concern is coordination. A DIY will review should compare the will against deeds, account titles, beneficiary forms, insurance policies, and any existing trust. Estate planning works best when these pieces support the same plan rather than compete with one another.
Changes that can make an old will risky
A will is not a document to sign once and forget. Marriage, divorce, the birth of a child, a death in the family, a new home, a business interest, or a significant increase in assets can all justify another look. So can a change in health that raises questions about long-term care, incapacity, or who would make financial and medical decisions if you could not.
Michigan law can affect gifts to a former spouse after divorce, but relying on default legal rules is not a substitute for updating a plan. A former spouse may still be named on a life insurance policy, retirement account, power of attorney, or deed. Similar issues arise when a named personal representative, guardian, trustee, or beneficiary is no longer the right person for the role.
Blended families require particular care. A simple “everything to my spouse, then to my children” approach may not produce the result either spouse expects. It may leave the surviving spouse financially exposed, unintentionally disinherit children from a prior relationship, or create tension between a surviving spouse and adult children. There is no one correct solution, but these families benefit from decisions made clearly and in advance.
Why a will alone may not be enough
A will can name beneficiaries and a personal representative, but it does not manage your affairs if you become incapacitated during life. It also does not avoid probate on its own. For some Michigan families, probate is manageable and appropriate. For others, a revocable living trust, properly titled assets, and beneficiary designations may reduce court involvement, add privacy, and make administration easier for loved ones.
The right plan depends on what you own, whom you want to protect, and the problems you want to prevent. A homeowner with young children, a retiree concerned about nursing home costs, and an adult child trying to help a parent with a modest estate may need very different strategies. A form cannot ask follow-up questions when the answer matters.
A complete plan commonly also includes a financial power of attorney, patient advocate designation, and HIPAA authorization. These documents give trusted people authority to act if you cannot. Without them, loved ones may face avoidable barriers at the very moment quick decisions are needed.
When to ask a Michigan estate planning attorney
A professional review is especially worthwhile if you own real estate, have minor children, are in a second marriage, have a child with special needs, expect family disagreement, own a business, or want to protect assets from the costs of long-term care. It can also help when you are unsure whether a will was signed properly or cannot locate the original signed document.
At Kata Law PLLC, the planning conversation is built around your family, property, and concerns rather than a one-size-fits-all form. The purpose is not to make estate planning feel more complicated. It is to make sure the decisions that matter are documented clearly, coordinated carefully, and understandable to the people who may one day need to carry them out.
Your DIY will may be a meaningful starting point. Reviewing it now, while you can make calm and informed choices, is a practical way to spare your family from having to make difficult guesses later.
