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Writing a will once and never revisiting it is one of the most common estate planning mistakes Americans make. A will is not a permanent document. It is a snapshot of your intentions at a specific moment in time. When your life changes, that snapshot becomes outdated, and an outdated will can cause as much harm as no will at all.
A will that still names an ex-spouse as a beneficiary, an executor who moved across the country, or a guardian who is no longer in your life is not protecting your family. It is creating a problem that they will have to resolve in probate court during one of the most difficult times of their lives. Knowing when to update and how to do it correctly is as important as creating the will in the first place.
Why Updating Your Will Matters
An Old Will Still Carries Legal Weight
A court enforces the most recent valid will, regardless of how outdated its contents are. That means an old will naming the wrong beneficiaries, the wrong executor, or a guardian who no longer makes sense is still legally binding. The court has no way of knowing what you would have wanted. It only has what you put in writing.
Life Outpaces the Document
Marriage, divorce, the birth of a child, the death of someone you named, and significant changes to your assets all happen on their own schedule. The will does not update itself. Every year that passes without a review is a year in which your estate plan may drift further from your actual intentions.
Read: What Happens If You Die Without a Will or Trust?
Life Events That Require a Will Update
Marriage
Getting married does not automatically update your existing will to include your new spouse in most states. Some states have protections for a surviving spouse called elective share rights, but those protections vary and may not reflect what you intended.
The cleanest and most reliable approach is to create a new will after every marriage that explicitly names your spouse and reflects how you want your estate divided.
Divorce
An ex-spouse remains named as a beneficiary in your will until you formally change it, unless you live in one of the states that automatically revoke gifts to a divorced spouse after the divorce is finalized. Several states do have this protection, but many do not.
Even in states that automatically revoke gifts, the revocation does not necessarily extend to the executor role or other provisions. After any divorce, updating the will immediately is the safest course of action.
Birth or Adoption of a Child
A child born or adopted after a will was written may have a claim to a share of the estate under pretermitted heir laws, which protect children who were unintentionally left out of a will. But the outcome of those claims varies significantly by state and may not produce the result you would have wanted.
Explicitly naming every child in the will, including alternates in case a beneficiary predeceases you, is always the more reliable approach.
Death of a Named Beneficiary or Executor
When a beneficiary named in your will dies before you and no alternate was named, their share may pass to their own heirs or fall to the residuary clause, depending on how the will is written. When an executor dies before you and no alternate was named, the probate court appoints an administrator with no input from you. Both outcomes are preventable. Whenever a key person named in your will dies, review and update the will promptly.
Significant Asset Changes
Purchasing a home, opening a major investment account, starting a business, or receiving a significant inheritance all change what your will needs to cover. Old language describing assets that no longer exist or failing to address new major assets creates confusion during probate. An updated will that reflects your current asset picture provides your executor with a clear, accurate roadmap.
Moving to a New State
A will that was properly executed in one state is generally recognized as valid in another state under the full faith and credit principle, but execution requirements do vary. Witness requirements, notarization rules, and recognition of holographic wills vary by state.
After any interstate move, reviewing your will to confirm it meets the new state’s requirements is a practical step that removes any uncertainty before it becomes a problem.
How to Update a Will: The Two Options
Write a New Will
Creating an entirely new will is the cleanest and most recommended approach for any significant update. A new will that includes a clear revocation clause explicitly canceling all prior wills and codicils removes any ambiguity about which document controls.
Probate courts handle new wills more smoothly than amended ones because there is no need to piece together the original document alongside amendments to determine the full picture of your intentions.
Add a Codicil
A codicil is a formal legal amendment to an existing will. It must be signed and witnessed with the same formality as the original will, and it becomes part of the will for probate purposes. A codicil works reasonably well for minor, isolated changes, such as updating a single beneficiary’s share or changing an executor’s name.
For anything more substantial, a new will is the better choice because it keeps everything in one place and eliminates the risk of inconsistency between the original document and the amendment.
What Not to Do When Updating a Will
Do not handwrite changes on the original. Crossing out language, writing in the margins, or making handwritten corrections to a typed will can invalidate the entire document in most states. Courts are strict about the formal requirements for will amendments, and informal changes create exactly the kind of ambiguity that leads to probate disputes.
Do not rely on verbal instructions. Telling family members what you want changed carries no legal weight. A verbal statement of intent, no matter how clearly communicated or how many people witnessed it, is not a valid amendment to a will. If your wishes are not written down in a properly executed document, they do not exist in the eyes of the law.
Do not assume a new will automatically void the old one. A new will without a clear revocation clause may leave both documents in play during probate. Courts sometimes seek to harmonize conflicting wills rather than simply enforce the latter. An explicit statement that all prior wills and codicils are revoked removes this risk entirely.
Read: Estate Planning After Major Life Events
What Else to Update Alongside the Will
A will update is complete if only the documents and designations that accompany it are reviewed at the same time.
Beneficiary designations. Retirement accounts like 401(k) plans and IRAs, life insurance policies, and payable-on-death bank accounts all transfer outside the will entirely. A new will that names the correct beneficiaries does nothing for a retirement account that still points to a former spouse. After every major life event that triggers a will update, review and update beneficiary designations on every financial account separately.
Power of attorney and healthcare directive. If a divorce changes who you named as executor in your will, it should almost certainly change who holds your financial power of attorney and your healthcare proxy as well. These documents name different people for different roles,s but are all part of the same plan. Reviewing them together after any major change keeps the entire plan aligned.
Trusts. If you have a living trust, update it in parallel with the will. A will and a trust that contradict each other, or a trust that names beneficiaries no longer in your life, create the same complications that an outdated will does. Treat every document in your estate plan as a connected system that needs to be updated together.
How Often to Review Without a Trigger
Even without a specific life event, periodic review of your will is sound practice. Relationships evolve. Assets change. People you named become less suited to their roles. Intentions that made sense five years ago may no longer match what you actually want today.
Reviewing your will every 3 to 5 years, as a general habit, helps ensure the document stays reasonably current, even between major life events. A brief review that confirms nothing needs to change takes very little time. Finding something that does need updating after years of no review is the scenario this habit prevents.
What Is Beem and Where Does It Fit?
Beem is a financial wellness app built for everyday Americans who want practical tools to manage money and plan without the cost or complexity of traditional financial services. It combines income tracking, expense management, cash flow tools, and financial protection in one platform designed for real financial lives.
For estate planning, Beem has partnered with GoodTrust, a digital estate planning platform with more than 800,000 members nationwide. Through this partnership, Beem members receive access to GoodTrust’s complete Smart Estate Planning suite as a core membership benefit. That includes wills, trusts, healthcare directives, power of attorney, naming a guardian, and a Digital Vault, all attorney-approved across all 50 states.
GoodTrust Makes Updates Simple and Free
GoodTrust’s platform includes unlimited updates across all plans. When a life event triggers a will review, logging in and updating the executor, beneficiaries, guardian, or any other detail costs nothing and takes minutes. Every updated document is attorney-reviewed and state-specific, so the revised document will meet the same legal standard as the original without requiring a new attorney appointment.
Beem Members Get the Full Estate Planning Suite
Through Beem, the complete GoodTrust suite is included as a core membership benefit with no separate subscription required:
- A legally valid will, attorney-approved in all 50 states
- A trust with unlimited updates
- Healthcare directives and power of attorney
- Guardian naming for children and dependents
- A Digital Vault for documents and digital assets
- A family plan covering up to four adult family members
Unlimited updates mean the plan grows alongside the life it is meant to protect.
Conclusion
A will that no longer reflects your life is not a safety net. It is a document waiting to cause a problem. Marriage, divorce, new children, deaths, asset changes, and interstate moves all create gaps between what you want and what the document says. Closing those gaps requires recognizing the trigger, choosing the right update method, and making sure every connected document is reviewed at the same time.
The will you write today is only as good as the commitment to keep it current. To make your money management easy and smart, it is wise to download and use Beem.
FAQs: How Do You Update Your Will After Major Life Changes
How often should you update your will?
Any major life event should trigger an immediate review and likely an update. Beyond specific triggers, reviewing your will every three to five years as a general practice keeps the document reasonably current even between events.
The review does not always result in changes, but ensures nothing significant has drifted out of alignment. Major triggers include marriage, divorce, birth or adoption of a child, death of a named beneficiary or executor, significant asset changes, and interstate moves.
Does getting married automatically update your will?
In most states, no. Getting married does not automatically update an existing will to include a new spouse. Some states provide elective share protections that give a surviving spouse a minimum share regardless of what the will says, but these protections vary by state and may not reflect your actual intentions. The safest approach is to create a new will after every marriage that explicitly names the new spouse and reflects how you want the estate divided.
Can I cross out parts of my will to change them?
No. Handwriting changes, crossing out language, or making corrections directly on a signed will can invalidate the entire document in most states. Courts require that amendments be made with the same formality as the original document. Making informal marks on the original creates ambiguity and can give opposing parties grounds to challenge the document during probate. Create a new will or a properly executed codicil for any change, no matter how minor it seems.
What is the difference between a new will and a codicil?
A new will replaces the old one entirely and is the cleanest approach for any significant change. A codicil is a formal amendment to an existing will that modifies specific provisions without replacing the whole document. Both require the same formalities for signing and witnessing. A codicil is suitable for minor, isolated changes.
A new will is the better choice for anything more substantial because it keeps all your wishes in one document and eliminates the risk of inconsistency between the original and the amendment.
Does moving to a new state invalidate my will?
Generally, no. A will properly executed in one state is recognized as valid in most other states. However, state-specific requirements for witnesses, notarization, and document format vary. A will that met all requirements in your previous state may not meet the specific standards of your new state, particularly if execution requirements differ significantly.
After any interstate move, reviewing the will to confirm it meets the new state’s requirements and updating it through a state-specific platform is a straightforward precaution that removes any uncertainty.
