Errors in Estate Planning - #2 - Do It Yourself

There are many online forms and Will programs. Most are inexpensive. "Why should I pay a lawyer when all I want is a Simple Will?" In more than 35 years of practice, no one has asked for a Complex Will!

The truth is deciding what to do, and the best financial and tax choices, is far more difficult than the document preparation. It is not a matter of filling out a few forms. Thinking and planning is required. Similar to constructing a building, if the blueprint is for a ranch style home and you wanted a 2-story colonial, it does not matter how cheap the blueprint is. It does not meet your needs.

Avoid shortcuts. It is much easier to have your Estate Plan done right than have your heirs incurring the confusion and expense of a form document.

Errors in Estate Planning - #1 Not Starting

The biggest error most people make is the failure to actually sit-down with your tax and estate planning attorney and at least prepare a Will. There is always an excuse - "we can't agree on..." "I have to straighten out my finances" "I don't have enough" "as soon as I lose weight"(really, I've gotten this one every year!)

The result is the same; more than 70% of Americans die without a will. This causes the government to decide where their assets will be left. It also results in paying money for Executor's Bonds and leads to confusion and fights.