Estate Document • Common Law Foundation

Last Will & Testament

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Directs disposition of property at death under common law. A private testamentary instrument — not a probate petition. The testator speaks. The law of wills enforces.

From $89 one-time • common-law language • zero hedging
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What It Is

A Last Will and Testament is a testamentary instrument that directs the disposition of property upon the testator's death. Under common law, a will is a declaration of intent — not a petition to a court. The will speaks at death. It names beneficiaries, designates an executor, and disposes of real and personal property according to the testator's wishes.

This is a common-law will — a private instrument that derives its authority from the testator's right of disposition, recognized since the Statute of Wills (1540) and carried forward into American common law. It does not petition a probate court for permission. It is the testator speaking — and the law of wills giving effect to that speech. The validity of a common-law will rests on three elements: testamentary capacity, testamentary intent, and due execution — principles established by courts of equity, not statutes.

What It Does

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Disposes of Property

Real property, personal property, financial accounts, digital assets — all distributed to named beneficiaries per the testator's instructions. Specific bequests, residuary clauses, and contingent distributions ensure nothing passes by intestacy.

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Names Executor & Guardian

The testator chooses who administers the estate and who cares for minor children. Without a will, a court appoints both — potentially strangers to the family. The will is the parent's voice protecting their children.

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Creates Testamentary Trusts

Property passes into trusts created by the will — for minors, spendthrift beneficiaries, or charitable purposes. The will can pour assets into a living trust at death, catching everything not funded during life.

How It Protects

  1. Intestacy avoidance. Without a will, property passes by intestate succession — a statutory default that distributes to relatives by formula. This formula does not reflect the testator's wishes. A will overrides it.
  2. Executor selection. The testator chooses who administers the estate. Without a will, a court appoints an administrator — who may be a stranger to the family or a creditor.
  3. Guardian designation. The testator names guardians for minor children. Without a will, a court decides — potentially placing children with relatives the testator would not have chosen.
  4. Specific bequests. The testator leaves specific items to specific people. Intestacy provides only fractional distributions — the family heirlooms, the art collection, the firearms, the crypto keys. No specificity.
  5. Estate tax planning. A properly structured will minimizes estate tax exposure through marital deduction, charitable bequests, and credit shelter provisions.
  6. Private instrument. As a common-law will, this instrument speaks the testator's intent directly. The probate court's role is ministerial — to admit the will to record. The will is the testator's voice.

Who It's For

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Parents

The single most important reason to have a will. Guardian designation prevents court-appointed guardianship of minor children.

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Property Owners

Real estate passes by will or by trust. Without either, intestacy applies. Your home, your land, your choice — not the legislature's.

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Business Owners

A will directs business succession. Without it, the business interest passes intestate — potentially to an heir with no experience or interest in running it.

Created Under Common Law

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Statute of Wills (1540)

The right to dispose of real property by will was established by the English Statute of Wills — not by any modern probate code. American common law inherited this right at the founding.

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Banks v. Goodfellow (1870)

The three elements of a valid will — testamentary capacity, testamentary intent, and due execution — are common-law requirements. They are not statutory creations. They are judicial principles developed by courts of equity over centuries.

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Private Instrument

The will derives its authority from the testator's right of disposition — a property right recognized at common law. The probate court records what the testator has done. It does not create the will. It does not grant authority.

No

Zero Statutory Forms

This instrument does not incorporate statutory safe-harbor forms. It does not petition a court for permission. It speaks the testator's intent directly — and the law of wills enforces that intent.

Post-Creation Instructions

  1. Execute the will. Sign in the presence of two disinterested witnesses. Both witnesses must see the testator sign. Both must sign in the presence of the testator and each other. A self-proving affidavit — signed by testator and witnesses before a notary — eliminates the need for witnesses to testify at probate.
  2. Store the original. Fireproof safe. Bank safe deposit box. With the executor. A lost original creates a presumption of revocation — the testator destroyed it. Courts require clear and convincing evidence to overcome this presumption.
  3. Tell the executor. The executor must know: that the will exists, where the original is kept, what assets exist, where key documents are located. The executor cannot act without the original will.
  4. Review every 3–5 years. Marriage. Divorce. Birth. Death. Major asset changes. Tax law changes. Review on any major life event. An outdated will naming an ex-spouse or omitting a new child causes litigation.
  5. Coordinate with trusts. Execute a pour-over will that catches assets not transferred to a living trust during life. The will is the safety net. The trust is the primary vehicle.
  6. Do not amend — revoke and replace. Do not write on the will. Do not cross out sections. Amendments create ambiguity. Revoke the old will and execute a new one.

Pricing

Last Will & Testament
$89
one-time
  • Executor designation
  • Guardian nomination
  • Specific bequests
  • Residuary clause
  • Self-proving affidavit
  • Common-law language
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Complete Estate Bundle
$189
one-time
  • Last Will & Testament
  • Revocable Living Trust
  • Financial Power of Attorney
  • Healthcare Directive
  • ChainLock Year 1 free
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Complete Your Estate Plan

The will is one instrument. Pair it with the full ecosystem.

🏛️

Revocable Living Trust

Avoid probate during life. Pour-over will catches the rest at death. The trust is the primary vehicle — the will is the safety net.

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ChainLock

Blockchain-anchor the executed will. Immutable timestamp proves the will existed on a specific date — no lost-original disputes.

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💰

AccruStrike

Estate tax analysis. Minimize exposure through marital deduction, charitable bequests, and credit shelter provisions.

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Your Will. Your Voice. Your Legacy.

A common-law will that speaks your intent — not the legislature's formula. Zero hedging. Zero AI language. Zero court deference. Created under the common law of wills.

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₿ ⬡

ChainLock Verified — Dual Chain

Bitcoin OP_RETURN + Polygon Smart Contract

Every Last Will and Testament generated by Forged in Trust is anchored to two blockchains simultaneously. A SHA-256 hash of the executed will is embedded in a Bitcoin OP_RETURN — immutable, permanent, secured by the highest hashrate on Earth. The same hash is recorded on Polygon via TrustAnchor.sol for instant verification and smart contract integration. Dual-chain anchoring eliminates single-point failure. Bitcoin proves existence. Polygon enables programmatic access. Lawyers charge $8,000+ for blockchain anchoring. ChainLock Standard (Polygon): $997 one-time + $497/yr. ChainLock Premium (BTC + Polygon Dual Chain): $1,997 one-time + $497/yr. BTC Anchor (retroactive): $1,497 one-time + $497/yr.

Bitcoin OP_RETURN
Permanent · Immutable
Polygon Smart Contract
Instant · Programmable
🛡️
Dual-Chain Proof
No single failure point
Forged-on-Chain → ChainLock →

🔮 Quantum-Secured — Every document hash is salted with true cryptographically randomness. No computer — classical or quantum — can predict or reverse it. Learn how →

Why This Matters

Your will is the single most important document your family will ever need. Here is why anchoring it to the blockchain changes everything.

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Immutability — It Cannot Be Changed

A SHA-256 cryptographic hash of your will is permanently embedded in the Bitcoin blockchain — the most secure computing network in human history. Once recorded, the hash cannot be altered, deleted, or disputed. If anyone later claims you signed a different will, the blockchain proves which document existed on which date. No court can override mathematics.

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No Lost Originals — No Destroyed Documents

Wills get lost in moves. They get destroyed in fires, floods, and earthquakes. Disgruntled family members destroy them. Law firms close and lose their files. The blockchain does not lose documents. It does not burn. It does not flood. Your will exists forever — independent of any physical copy.

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Court-Ready Proof — No "He Said, She Said"

In a will contest, the burden of proof falls on the person trying to admit the will. The blockchain flips this dynamic. The timestamp is mathematical — not testimonial. No witness can forget. No memory can fade. The blockchain is the witness that cannot be cross-examined. Present the Blockstream Explorer link in court. The judge can verify it independently.

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Emergency Access — Beneficiaries Can Verify Instantly

When you pass away, your executor and beneficiaries do not need to find a law firm, open a safe deposit box, or petition a court just to confirm the will exists. They visit the verification page. They see the blockchain proof. Immediate. Irrefutable. No waiting. No gatekeepers.

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Decentralized — Nobody Controls the Proof

The Bitcoin blockchain is maintained by tens of thousands of nodes across every continent. No government can shut it down. No corporation can delete it. No law firm can lose it. The proof of your will exists independently of Forged in Trust, independently of any institution, independently of any jurisdiction. Even if this company ceases to exist, the Bitcoin blockchain will still contain your document's fingerprint.

Permanence — It Outlasts Everything

Bitcoin has been running continuously since January 3, 2009 — through financial crises, wars, pandemics, and regime changes. It has never been hacked. It has never been shut down. It has never lost a single transaction. Your will, anchored to Bitcoin, will outlast the law firm that drafted it, the bank that stored it, and the government that notarized it. Your great-grandchildren will be able to verify it.

$497/year maintains the chain.

One price. Every tier. That covers re-verification, chain monitoring, amendment re-anchoring, and the infrastructure that keeps your will's proof permanently alive on both Bitcoin and Polygon. Lawyers charge $8,000+ for a single blockchain anchoring. We maintain both chains for $497/year — and the proof never expires.

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Smart Chain Access

On-Chain Will Registry via TrustAnchor.sol

Your will is recorded on the TrustAnchor smart contract — deployed on Polygon and governed by Wyoming Trust Code. The execution of the will, changes to executors, and beneficiary designations are all recorded on-chain. This is a private, permissioned registry — not a public blockchain broadcast. Only parties with the will's cryptographic key can access the record. Smart contract address: 0x7A...B4F (TrustAnchor.sol v1.0)

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Executor Registry
On-chain designation
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Cryptographic Access
Private key-gated
Instant Verification
Polygon PoS chain
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Forged on Chain LLC is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice. Our products are self-help document preparation tools. Consult a licensed attorney for legal advice specific to your situation.