Estate Planning as a Family Conversation - One way to lessen the chance of will contests is to talk to your children about your estate plans, especially if you are in declining health and there is a chance that you will lose testamentary capacity.
Wealth and Personal Finance - Learning to Share - the best way to avoid will contests and to prevent beneficiaries, after your death, who are getting less to be angry with those who are getting more is to explain to your descendents what you are giving them under your will, especially if they are receiving less than what they think they are entitled to and explaining your rationale.
The Risk of Out-of-Pocket Health Care Expenditure at End of Life - According to this study, using data from the Health and Retirement Study for the years 1998-2006, out-of-pocket health care costs in the last year of life was estimated to be $11,618 on average, with the 90th percentile equal to $29,335, the 95th percentile $49,907, and the 99th equal to $94,310.
Search NCCUSL Acts - Search for Acts approved by the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws to see which Acts have been enacted by which states.
NCCUSL Archives - Contains the full text of the uniform model acts approved by the NCCUSL.
Michigan Statutory Will - This will form has a lot of information. You can print the form and fill in the blanks. This is a good form to save important information, including medical needs—even if you don't live in Michigan.
McMullen, Judith G., Keeping Peace in the Family While You are Resting in Peace: Making Sense of and Preventing Will Contests. Marquette Law School Legal Studies Paper No. 06-42; Marquette Elder's Advisor, Vol. 8, p. 61, 2006. Available at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=966643
Leopold, Aloysius A. and Beyer, Gerry W., Ante-Mortem Probate: A Viable Alternative (April, 01 2009). Arkansas Law Review, Vol. 43, No. 1, 1990. Available at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=1371864