Editing Will and testament (section)

{{Short description|Legal declaration where a person distributes property at death}}
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{{Wills, trusts, estates}}
A '''will and testament''' is a legal document that expresses a person's ([[testator]]) wishes as to how their property ([[estate (law)|estate]]) is to be distributed after their [[death]] and as to which person ([[executor]]) is to manage the property until its final distribution. For the distribution (devolution) of property not determined by a will, see [[inheritance]] and [[intestacy]].

Though it has been thought a "will" historically applied only to [[real property]], while "testament" applied only to personal property (thus giving rise to the popular title of the document as "last will and testament"), records show the terms have been used interchangeably.<ref>''Wills, Trusts, and Estates'' (Aspen, 7th Ed., 2005)</ref> Thus, the word "will" validly applies to both personal and real property. A will may also create a testamentary [[Trust (property)|trust]] that is effective only after the death of the testator.