her work has appeared in marketwatch, cnbc, pbs, inverse, the philadelphia inquirer, and more. once you pass away, the will must be proven in probate court before a judge, so the last thing you want is for them to find the will invalid and for your planning to go to waste. writing a will on your own and getting it notarized is only half the battle. once you pass away, the will needs to be verified, or proven and the witnesses to appear in probate court to verify their signatures and the testator’s signature, which might be difficult if the witnesses have moved away or died. to alleviate this burden you can add a self-proving affidavit to your will, in which case your will must be notarized. you and your witnesses may all need to appear together before the notary.