Every adult should have a properly prepared will in a safe place. Notify the executor of its location. The will may be filed for safekeeping in the local Surrogate's Court or with your attorney. A will does not increase expenses and frequently reduces them. A will can mimimize estate and income taxes.
Homemade wills are extremely dangerous and are frequently the subject of lawsuits.
Life insurance and joint property are not substitutes for a will. Do NOT execute, alter, amend, or change a will, except under the direction of a lawyer. This material, based on New York Law, is issued to inform, not advise. No person should ever apply or interpret any law without the aid of an attorney who knows the facts, because the facts may change the application of the law.