ABA Family Legal Guide

Estate Planning

Wills

Does a will cover all my property?

Probably not. It is easy to think that a will covers all of your property. But because property can be passed to others by gift, contract, joint tenancy, life insurance, or other methods, a will might best be viewed as just one of many ways of determining how and to whom your estate will be distributed at your death.

Many of the various methods of distributing your estate are discussed in this chapter. Be sure to keep in mind the kinds of property that a will may not cover and include them in your estate planning.