Original documents are always hard to keep track of, particularly for younger generations that are used to having most documents being purely digital. However, failure to keep track of original documents can have a negative effect on estate plans when it comes to a will. In a New Hampshire case, the original will was lost and the court imposed a presumption of revocation even though there was a valid codicil with a copy of the original. As a result, the assets passed intestate which was potentially out of line with the would be testators preferred distribution. Keep this in mind and always make sure a client knows the importance of original documents so they take proper care to protect them.
See Larry Deason, Estate Planning: Safeguarding original copies is critical, Yuma Sun, June 8, 2015.
