A will is one of the most crucial legal documents you can ever execute. With one in place, you can rest easy knowing that your hard-earned wealth will pass down to the rightful people and causes when you die. If you die without one in place, on the other hand, the government would step in and decide your estate's fate.

For your will to be enforceable, it has to be valid. This means that your will must be executed per Ohio laws, and one of the issues that determine the validity of your will is its witnessing. But who can witness your will?

Witnessing a will in Ohio

By signing your will, the witness will be affirming that they witnessed you sign it.

Not anyone can witness a will. For instance, a minor may not witness your will. Likewise, your will cannot be witnessed by an interested party like your spouse or adult children. That said, here are some of the things you need to look out for when picking witnesses for your will:

• Their competence – Like in any other legal matter, an individual has to be an adult of sound mind to understand the implications of witnessing your will. In other words, they should be able to comprehend the significance of the document they are signing.
• Their interests in your estate – an individual who has interests in the outcome of your will cannot witness it since they may have a conflict of interest.

The decision to create a will is a big one. Learning how Ohio estate planning laws work can help you safeguard your interests while choosing witnesses for your will.