Do-It-Yourself (DIY) projects are typically acceptable such as repairing a minor item in your home. You just Google whatever needs repairs, and there is a video or blog to tell you how to do it.
Sometimes the instructional video explains things right. Most often, important details are left out, and the project turns out wrong.
People believe they save money by using unreliable, non-lawyer owned websites. Cheap and easy is okay for certain situations, but making sure your loved ones are safe when you die is not one of them.
There is a high probability that it costs more to plan your living will online because you are trying to do a lawyer’s work with someone that is not a lawyer. The websites that advertise FREE will and testaments attach hidden fees, charge for required additional documents, and do not accurately finish legal filing or file wrong.
The only way to plan your trust carefully with a reasonable cost is to ask for guidance from a reputable estate planning attorney.
Problems with Do-It-Yourself Planning
- With online Do-It-Yourself estate planning, there is no guidance or guarantee that your estate plans carry out your specific goals and wishes.
- Estate Do-It-Yourself programs provide generic forms that do not cover specific concerns for the individual.
- Families of the bereaved often end up paying out-of-pocket to take care of unattended business.
- Some estate planning websites are scams. There is no one there to help you; just a website recording your personal information.
- A professional attorney can soothe family bitterness or offer solutions when problems arise over a will. The Do-It-Yourself website might not even exist after the person died.
The American Bar Association (™) devised a task force team for an online Do-It-Yourself Estate Planning investigation. The task force found many inadequacies and drawbacks, including:
- Not even a lawyer with experience in the field will use an online program for essential estate planning tasks. (Lawyers use other lawyers for personal business.)
- Popular online “Legal” websites have had multiple lawsuits filed against them.
- Emotional mistakes made while drafting an online document can confuse or damage family relationships. An older person might forget to include a niece, nephew or be unaware of newer family arrangements, which affect the family after they depart.
- There is seldom a witness to a person doing online paperwork. If something is ambiguous later, and after the person dies, no one can explain the situation.
The Point of Wills and Estate Planning is for specific intentions and to protect your family.
Online forms are generic and do not cover specific concerns of the individual. A person plans a will and testament to pinpoint precisely where they want their money to go.
The risks of Do-It-Yourself Estate planning is incomprehensible. You are throwing away money by trying to save money. If any mistakes occur concerning your assets, property, or anything else, innocent people like those you leave behind will get hurt.
The worst part is there will be no one to fight for you or your family because there was no documentation provided, giving anyone permission to speak on your behalf.
Do-It-Yourself Documents tend to:
- Not include information for all circumstances.
- Not ask the appropriate questions that provide the right information.
- Not advise on all of the person’s information, including other money aside from general accounts.
- Not ask about family relationships and not concerned with them.
- Not provide the information needed and does cost more than advertised.
A Do-It-Yourself example with painful implications:
A woman suffering from a life-threatening illness filed her own will online. Due to complications and not feeling well, she filed hastily, forgetting which money was in several accounts. She hadn’t remembered that years before her illness, she had left a beneficiary she no longer spoke to $50,000. Her wishes were that all of her money in her financial accounts go to a specific charity and a few select people. When she died, those close to her ended up paying to release the funds to a stranger and a person she didn’t want to receive the money.
Protecting Your Legacy. Planning Your Future.
Washington Elder Law is available to help you plan your estate with ease. We welcome you to join our webinar for an easy three-step process to estate planning. Preparing your will and trust can be comfortable with the right guidance.
Our mission is to:
- Identify if your current plan meets your goals.
- Understand what it takes to protect you and your stuff
- Show you how to get what’s missing.
- Let you know what Washington Elder Law offers.
Please call us so we can help you plan your future. (206) 367-1521
