The person who makes a will is known as the testator.  Rather than requiring the testator to list all of his individual pieces of personal property in a will, some states allow the person to make a list of personal property stating to whom each item should pass.  Known as a personal property memorandum, the document is separate from the will but must be referenced in the will to be legally binding. 

Alabama does not have a provision for this type of distribution, but there is a work-around.

A will may state that the personal representative has complete authority to distribute personal property.  If the personal representative is highly trusted by the testator he or she may be given such a memorandum to follow for the distribution of personal property.  It is important to recognize that the personal representative is not legally bound by this personal property memorandum, but where the testator has a high trust level, he may feel comfortable with such an arrangement.