Estate Planning – Changing Your Will or Living Trust

by Frie, Arndt & Danborn

A will or living trust that meets all of the requirements described in earlier blogs is valid until you revoke it.

A will or living trust that is valid in another state is also valid in Colorado. If you change your mind about a particular distribution of your property, or if circumstances force you to otherwise change your will or living trust, you can create a codicil to your will (a document amending your will) or a trust amendment to change your living trust. The codicil or trust amendment must be signed and witnessed with the same formalities as your original will or living trust. While a codicil or trust amendment provides you with a convenient method for making minor changes to your will or living trust, significant modifications may require redrafting the original document. You should never write on your will or living trust after it is executed. Such writing is not legally effective and may invalidate the entire document. Always consult an attorney about how to change your will or living trust.

This article courtesy of the Colorado Bar Association.