Maine · Estate & Probate
The Maine Wills, Trusts & Estates Guide
Understanding Maine's Estate Planning Laws, from Handwritten Wills and Revocable Trusts to Navigating the County Probate Court System.
2026-2027 Edition · Cited to Maine law · Plain language
Paperback · $19.99
Ships in 3 to 5 business days. US shipping is $5.99 for one book or $8.99 for two or more. Damaged or misprinted copies are replaced; no refunds. ISBN 9798905119590.
eBook
Read on your phone, tablet or computer. Buy it here and BookFunnel emails your download link, or get it from Google Play Books.
Audiobook
Buy it here and BookFunnel emails your download link to listen in the free BookFunnel app. Digitally narrated.
Add-on: Texas Wills & Powers of Attorney Pack · $39.99
Eleven editable forms that go with this guide, including a will, financial and medical powers of attorney and a living will, with a signing guide. Instant download; Word and PDF.
✓ Free bonus toolkit: register your book after purchase and download checklists, worksheets and a starter template for this topic.
Cited to the statute · Legal information, not legal advice
How wills, trusts, and estate plans work in Maine
Will requirements, holographic wills, intestate succession, the elective share, revocable trusts, and incapacity documents under Maine law.
ABOUT THIS BOOK
A Maine estate plan rests on two modern statutes: the Maine Uniform Probate Code in Title 18-C and the Maine Uniform Trust Code in Title 18-B. The Maine Wills, Trusts & Estates Guide explains how those laws shape wills, trusts, and planning for incapacity.
The guide starts with where Maine differs from most states. A handwritten holographic will can be valid without witnesses if the signature and material portions are in the will-writer's handwriting. A surviving spouse cannot be fully disinherited because of the elective share. Maine has an estate tax but no inheritance tax, and its probate courts are organized county by county.
Inside, the guide explains:
• The writing, signature, and two-witness requirements for a will
• Why notarization is optional and what a self-proved will does
• Intestate succession when there is no will
• Revocable trusts, spendthrift protection, and certification of trust
• Trust decanting and trust modification
• Durable powers of attorney and advance health care directives
The guide is written for the person making a plan and for the executor, trustee, or beneficiary who later carries it out.
Legal information, not legal advice.
WHAT’S INSIDE
- Maine's Modern Legal Foundation: The Uniform Codes
- Wills and Intestate Succession: Directing Your Assets
- Trusts in Maine: A Flexible Tool for Managing Assets
- Planning for Incapacity: Who Makes Decisions When You Can't?
- Exceptions, Defenses, and Special Circumstances
- Rights and Powers of Key Roles
- Step-by-step procedures from each side, with deadlines at a glance
- Real-world questions and answers
- Statute index, key court decisions and official forms
- Toolkit: checklists, comparison tables, glossary and common mistakes to avoid
WHY READERS TRUST THIS GUIDE
Plain language. Cited to the statute. Dated so you know it is current.
Every rule is cited to Maine law so you can verify it.
Cited, so you can check it
Every rule names the section of Maine law it comes from, so you can read the source yourself.
Plain language, no filler
Written to be read start to finish by someone with no legal training, with worked examples.
Dated and updated
Each guide carries a law-current date and new editions ship when the law changes.
Bonus toolkit
Register your book for this topic’s checklists, worksheets and starter template, as soon as they are ready.
QUESTIONS BEFORE YOU BUY
Maine will requirements: what to know before you order.
Straight answers about what the guide is, what it covers and how it reaches you.
Does a will need to be notarized in Maine?
No. A Maine will must be in writing, signed by the testator, and signed by two witnesses. A notarized self-proving affidavit is optional. The guide explains both.
Is a handwritten will valid in Maine?
A holographic will can be valid without witnesses if the signature and material portions are in the testator's handwriting. The guide explains the requirements.
Is this legal advice?
No. It is legal information in plain language, cited to the law, so you understand your options and know what to ask. Reading it creates no attorney-client relationship.
Is it written for Maine?
Yes. This guide is written for Maine law and cites the Maine statutes and rules it relies on. If your case is in another state, choose that state's edition.
KEEP GOING
More guides for Maine.
Other titles readers of this guide pick up next.
BOUGHT THIS BOOK?
Register it for the bonus toolkit.
Enter the book number from the inside cover. You get this guide’s bonus download as soon as it is ready and a note when a new edition is ready. About a minute.
PLEASE READ
Legal information, not legal advice. STACKED LEGAL® is a publisher, not a law firm. Buying or reading this book creates no attorney-client relationship and promises no outcome. Laws change; verify current law and talk to a licensed attorney in Maine about your situation.
Paperbacks are printed on demand. No refunds; we replace damaged or misprinted copies. eBooks are sold and delivered by Google Play Books and Amazon under their terms. See the Sales, Shipping & License Policy.