Can we have a notorized Addendum added to our notorized holographic Will, without having to re-write the entire Will?

Disclaimer: The materials provided below are informational and should not be relied upon as legal advice.

You can prepare an addendum or a codicil to your will. However, in that situation your wishes are expressed in two or more documents that have to be read together, which may cause confusion to your beneficiaries and to the probate court. A better approach may be to draft a new will that spells out all of your wishes and it supersedes all of your prior wills. An even better approach may be to prepare a living trust and a new will, and this way you may be able to avoid your beneficiaries having to deal with probate court and may also lower the applicable estate taxes. You should immediately consult your own attorney to protect your legal rights.

In California a holographic codicil is just fine. if you are making a major change though, you may want to redo the entire will.

The California Bar Association has a good summary on wills you might wish to read.