My daughter and I have settled into our summer routine in the Adirondacks with my dad. A few days ago, we had our first household repair project. 

Death Readiness Dispatch

July 1, 2026

Hi there,

 

My daughter and I have settled into our summer routine in the Adirondacks with my dad. A few days ago, my daughter and I had our first household repair project. The bracket holding the shower head broke, so unless you held it with one hand the entire time, it swung around like an angry garden hose.

 

My dad left us Gorilla Glue and a barbecue skewer outside the bathroom. Feeling optimistic, I considered repairing it myself. Then I read the instructions. The glue needed time to set. I'd need some sort of clamp. The broken piece was curved. And, what had seemed like a simple fix wasn't so simple anymore.

 

After a family strategy meeting in the hallway, we reached the same conclusion my dad had reached from the beginning: just replace it already! That same line exists with estate planning.

Before you grab a pen

People often tell me, “I only need to make one little change to my Will.”

❌ Cross out a name.

🖊️ Write something in the margin.

✍️ Initial it.

✅ Done.

 

Sometimes it actually works. And that's exactly what makes it so dangerous. Just because it can “work” doesn't mean you should do it. This week, I walk through two cases where handwritten changes to Wills kept families tied up in court for years.

I explain:

✍️ Why crossing out part of your Will may actually have legal effect,

⚖️ How handwritten edits can create expensive court battles after you're gone,

🏡 Why one woman's handwritten edit caused her real estate to pass as though she had no Will at all,

✅ And why a clean update is always better than a handwritten fix.

Estate Plans Aren't Meant to be Edited in the Margins

One of the biggest misconceptions I encounter is that estate planning documents are like any other paperwork—you can simply make a few notes, insert a caret ^, initial them, and move on.

 

Sometimes that's legally effective. Most times it isn’t. And your family may have to spend years in court figuring out which one it is. Your estate plan should give your family peace of mind, not uncertainty. 

And speaking of good estate planning…

If you're in Tennessee and your estate plan has sticky notes, crossed-out names, handwritten notes in the margins, or changes you've been meaning to make “someday,” consider this your reminder to start fresh. Your documents should make your wishes obvious, not leave room for debate. 

Thanks for being here.

PS: This summer, I'm back in the Adirondacks hiking with our dogs. The last time I was here, I was sorting through a lot of uncertainty about what came next in my career. The trail didn't hand me a business plan, but it gave me enough space to hear what I already knew. If you're carrying around a lot of uncertainty yourself, you might not find all the answers on a mountain trail with your sausage dog. But you should probably check.