A registered will is the process of taking a valid will and filing or depositing it with a Court. Minnesota’s law supporting a deposited will falls under rule 524.2-515.
On the other hand, I still find myself questioning whether this is a good idea or bad idea.
Registered Will: Bad Idea
The families and veterans I serve always ask where they should store their will. Everybody, including myself, can become stressed over the idea of loosing our documents to fire or other means. Today, we have more technology savvy opportunities to prevent this from occurring.
For myself, I believe it is a bad idea to register a will because I do not want my intimate estate plans shared with a court unless absolutely necessary. For this one reason, it might be a bad idea to deposit a will with a court.
The second reason why this might be a bad idea is because I want freedom to make changes to my plan without running to the local court-house and making a day of it.
Third, who is to say the court won’t lose it too? In case it was forgotten, our government lost critical records in the past and it wouldn’t surprise me if it happens again. Minnesota high schools are being exploited by children. Target Corporation was hacked. Very likely, evil people are trying to break into our ancillary documents too.
Fourth, it gives me heartburn wondering whether people are snooping through records. Like you, I have nothing to hide. But, our privacy is slipping away and I do not want a court filing to turn into a bigger deal.
Registered Will: Good Idea
A good reason to deposit a will with a court while I am still living is because I do not want my greedy family to make changes without my knowledge. Of course I joke about my family being greedy. But, we all know a person who might be tempted to edit our will without our consent.
A second reason a registered will in Minnesota is a good idea is because we are fearful of fire or theft. Buying a fire-proof safe is expensive. Buying a safe deposit box is a hassle. Maybe just maybe using a court to keep it safe is a good idea.
A third reason why giving my will to a court to keep during my lifetime is because I know where it is. The feeling of losing a document or having a document stolen can be unsettling.
A fourth reason why registering my will with a court is a good idea is because it puts my creditors on notice without making my personal representative rush to a court-house days after I die.
Register my Will in Minnesota
On second thought, maybe giving my will during my lifetime sounds like a really good idea. On the other hand, I still like my privacy (dead or alive) even more.
If you are a Veteran and have time, I addressed a similar issue with our DD 214 document.
Otherwise, I wish you the very best.
