There are many people who don’t consult with an estate planning attorney because they don’t want to spend the money. The truth is, they may choose to spend a few dollars now, without realizing they may be creating an expensive and frustrating mess for their heirs.
Before pursuing a DIY estate plan, ask yourself whether you truly know the intricacies of will/trust-drafting and whether you are willing to take the risk of committing a simple mistake which could result in your documents being invalid, ineffective, or containing language resulting in unintended consequences. If your document is invalid, your state’s law of intestate succession applies, which may not produce the result you intended.
Online services spend a lot of money trying to give you the impression that the services they offer are similar to those of an attorney; however, while they do provide generic forms they cannot offer any legal advice, as they are not lawyers (with few exceptions).
Estate planning involves a lot more than just creating documents. If you don’t pay to have estate planning documents done correctly now, your heirs will inevitably pay more than you would have ever paid a professional to do them.
Call us for a free consultation. It’s just not worth the risking your life’s work just to save a few dollars.
