Paul Simon sang to us about the “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover” while Train told us there are “50 Ways to Say Goodbye.” Based on all the big life changes that are happening in these songs, the next “50 Ways” song should probably be “50 Ways to Destroy an Old Will.” For that task, we’ve got some suggestions.
1. Rip it up.
4. Feed it to the dog that likes to eat homework.
3. Burn it.
4. Target practice.
5. Ask your attorney to get rid of it for you.
6. Shred it.
7. Make it “sleep with the fishes.”
8. Run it through a food processor.
9. Mark through every line with black permanent marker.
10. Write “I revoke this will” on each page and sign it.
11. Turn it into a paper mâché piñata.
12. Make it into a liner for your pet’s cage.
13. Confetti time.
14. Use it as a window cleaning rag.
15. Fold it into origami paper cranes.
16. Add it to the compost pile and mulch your garden.
17. A convenient drop cloth for your next messy DIY project.
18. Martha Stewart it into a paper wreath for the holidays.
19. Use it as Earth friendly gift wrap.
20. Run it over with your car.
21…
Basically, if you no longer like your will, you must do some physical act to demonstrate you no longer consider it valid.
We would obviously recommend working with your attorney to put a new estate plan into place before voiding your old one. However, creating a new will without also destroying your old will and all the copies of it you can find is not a great idea. Consider what might happen if your loved ones stop looking for your will after they find an older version, not realizing a new version exists. Your wishes would not be carried out, and by the time the mistake was discovered, it might be impossible to redo certain things.
Having multiple versions of your will floating around also invites challenges from those who fared better under previous versions. Someone who is upset with the newer version could argue to the court that you were not mentally fit to make the changes you did, or that you were coerced. Don’t give these people ammunition by keeping old documents around.