When it comes to your last will and testament, it’s crucial that you get things right. Unfortunately, when you use a DIY online service, things don’t always go “right” and you wind up leaving your heirs having to do a whole lot of guesswork. This is why you should always plan your estate with an estate planning attorney. But what exactly can go wrong when you use a DIY online service to complete your will? Let’s take a look at a few of the issues that you might face…
Last Will and Testament: 7 Reasons NOT To Use Online DIY Services
1. Estate Planning Is Never “Cookie Cutter”
DIY online will services provide you with cookie-cutter solutions to something that is far from a cookie-cutter situation. Everyone’s estate planning needs are different and while the general requirements for a last will and testament may be the same, fitting your unique situation into those general requirements isn’t necessarily easy. Then you throw in location-specific requirements and things get even more complicated.
Yes, you’re going to see “hints” to help you fill in online forms yourself, but how many of those “hints” are going to meet your specific situation? In order to fully cater your estate plan to your individual needs, you have to consult an estate planning attorney.
2. One Misstep Can Cause A Complete Failure…
Your last will and testament must meet very specific requirements for it to be admissable in probate court as an official document. A slight misstep when completing your will online can mean that your will is not accepted as an official document and when this happens, it is as though you have left no will at all. What happens then? Then your estate property is distributed according to state law. For you, this means that your final wishes as far as property distribution are likely not to be followed.
3. Have You thought of Everything?
When planning your estate, you have a lot to consider. While many DIY online will services will provide you with prompts to answer questions relating to your estate and your intended plans, they aren’t going to provide any more than general questions. When working with an estate planning attorney, however, you can ask specific questions about your plans and your attorney can remind you of anything that may be left out of the general questions online. You are much less likely to miss something when working with a knowledgeable attorney with experience.
4. You Are More Likely to Plan With Your Heart Not Your Head
When you complete your last will and testament, you have to take some very important things into consideration. This includes who you want to be the executor of your estate, who you would like to make medical decisions for you, and who you would like to serve as the guardian of your children. When you do this at home without legal counsel, you are more likely to think with your heart and not with your head. For example, you are most likely to choose your best friend as the guardian of your children even if they are the least qualified for the job. You choose your best friend because you love them dearly and you don’t stop to think about the other important aspects of caring for a child. Working with an attorney means that you have someone who can help you to consider your decisions based on logic and practicality as well as emotional connections. So, in this example, your attorney may remind you that your best friend is not financially capable of providing for a child or that your second choice for a guardian has experience with raising children where your best friend does not.
5. Things Sometimes Get Complicated Financially
When you plan your estate, you have to consider all of the financial aspects involved. This requires knowledge of taxation laws among other things. If you don’t have a head for numbers or you simply don’t know where to start, it’s important that you consult an estate planning attorney who can help you to determine what financial planning considerations you need to make.
6. You Might Cost Your Beneficiaries a LOT
When you make a mistake on your will it doesn’t always mean that your will is rejected by the court as an unofficial document, it can also mean that your heirs and beneficiaries wind up having to pay unnecessary taxes or fees. In some cases, this can wind up costing them the majority of their inheritance. When you work directly with an attorney, however, they can help you to understand the various options available to you when estate planning. Some of these options can help you to protect assets so that your beneficiaries get what you truly intended for them to get.
7. Clarity Isn’t Always a Given
When you use a DIY online service to write your last will and testament you may think that you are being clear with your wishes but in actuality, you aren’t. A computer isn’t going to tell you that something you have written doesn’t make sense, it doesn’t read context, it only spell checks, grammar checks and looks for specified errors. This means that your online will can wind up being so confusing for those you leave behind that your last wishes are not carried out as you would like for them to be. Working with an attorney, however, means that you have someone knowledgeable who can read over your plans and let you know if something does or doesn’t make sense the way you want it to.
Have You Planned Your Estate?
If you have yet to plan your estate and are looking for the assistance of an estate planning attorney, Weidner Law can help. To make an appointment with attorney Weidner, just pick up the phone and dial 727-954-8752
