RiteWill — WRITE IT RIGHT, MAKE IT LAST.

WHY A WILL

The shortest document you will ever sign, and the one that matters most

A will takes an afternoon to get right and decades to untangle when it is wrong. Here is what it does, and what to have ready before you make one.

TWO OUTCOMES

The same family, decided two ways

Without a will, the law has a formula and applies it. With one, your own instructions take its place.

WITHOUT A WILL

The statute’s formula

For a Hindu man survived by his wife, three children and his mother, the Hindu Succession Act divides his own property equally among them: a fifth each, whatever he had intended.

WITH A WILL

Your own instructions

The same family, as you decide it: the home to your wife, an income for your mother, the business held in trust for the children, and a guardian named for them.

BENEFITS

What a will actually buys you

Not tax savings, and not secrecy. Certainty, speed and the absence of argument.

You decide, not a statute

Without a will your estate is divided by intestate succession — a fixed formula set by the personal law that applies to you. It cannot account for a dependent parent, a child with special needs, or a promise you made years ago.

Your family is spared the paperwork

Heirs without a will spend months collecting heirship and succession certificates before a bank will release a balance or a registrar will transfer a title. A valid will shortens that considerably.

Fewer grounds to fight over

Most inheritance disputes begin in ambiguity — an unrecorded intention, an asset nobody knew about, an heir who expected more. Writing it down closes those gaps before they open.

Guardians for children who need them

A will is where you appoint a guardian for a minor, and where you can set up a structure to look after someone who cannot manage their own affairs.

An executor who knows what to do

Naming an executor gives someone clear authority to gather the estate, settle debts and distribute what remains, instead of leaving the family to agree on who acts.

Assets that would otherwise be missed

Digital accounts, small deposits, unlisted shareholdings and policies with outdated nominations are routinely lost simply because nobody knew they existed.

WHAT MAKES IT VALID

Six formalities. Miss one and the document may not survive challenge.

These come from the Indian Succession Act, 1925, and apply whichever personal law governs your succession. Muslim wills follow a different framework — see legal validity and compliance.

  1. 01

    You must be of sound mind and at least eighteen years old.

  2. 02

    The will must be in writing. Oral wills are not valid, except for the privileged wills available to soldiers, airmen and mariners in active service.

  3. 03

    You must sign or mark it, and you must do so intending to give effect to the will.

  4. 04

    Two witnesses must attest, each having seen you sign, and each signing in your presence.

  5. 05

    A witness must not be a beneficiary, nor married to one — a bequest to an attesting witness fails, even though the will itself stands.

  6. 06

    A codicil that alters a will must satisfy exactly the same formalities as the will.

CHECKLIST

What to gather before you start

You do not need all of this to begin a conversation with us. You will need most of it before a will is finalised.

Immovable property

  • Title deeds, sale deeds or allotment letters
  • Khata, mutation records and property tax receipts
  • Encumbrance certificates where available
  • Agricultural land details, which carry their own restrictions

Financial assets

  • Bank accounts, deposits and the nominations recorded on them
  • Demat holdings, mutual funds and bonds
  • Life insurance policies and their nominees
  • Provident fund, gratuity and pension entitlements

Business and other interests

  • Shareholdings in private companies, and the articles that govern transfer
  • Partnership or LLP interests
  • Intellectual property, royalties and licences
  • Interests held jointly or through a HUF

Movable and digital assets

  • Jewellery, vehicles and valuables worth naming
  • Bank lockers and what is in them
  • Digital accounts, domains and cryptocurrency holdings
  • Loans owed to you, and any outstanding liabilities

People

  • Beneficiaries, with full names and how they are related to you
  • An executor, and an alternate in case the first cannot act
  • A guardian for any minor or dependent who will need one
  • Two witnesses who take nothing under the will

Start with a will

Tell us about your family and what you own. We will tell you what your will needs to say, and whether anything else is worth doing.