A will is the instrument by which a person directs the disposition of property to take effect at death. The New York booklet states the definition in that classic, compact form. The idea is simple: the document does not operate fully during life, but is intended to govern property after death.
Will terminology sits close to words such as executor, administrator, and codicil. It also intersects with a practical caution in the booklet: notaries are warned not to assume that an acknowledgment of a will is equivalent to an attestation clause. Witness requirements and testamentary formalities come from other law, not from the mere presence of a notary’s certificate.
Why it matters: A will is a dispositive estate instrument, not an affidavit, not a deed, and not a power of attorney. That distinction should remain clear whenever the document is placed before a notary.
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