The popular DIY trend has invaded estate planning. Several websites offering downloadable forms now make it convenient for you to craft your own will, trust, or power of attorney. The cost of doing it yourself is a mere fraction of what you would normally pay. Hence, the reason why many choose to do it.
Doing so would suggest a ‘better to have loved and lost than never to have at loved at all’ mentality. However, your regret could cost you more in the end. Is this a risk you’re willing to take for the sake saving a few hundred dollars now? If not, then here’s why you need to consider hiring an estate planning attorney danville ca from the very beginning.
You Can’t Ask Anyone for Advice
Who do you turn to if you have questions with your DIY will? It’s more likely you’ll end up exchanging emails with tech support. Thus, you won’t get the answers you need. Moreover, you can expect a generic reply in your inbox advising you their services don’t include the provision of legal advice. Thus, you’ll be doing your estate planning blindly.
You Can Easily Make Costly Mistakes
Without the assistance of a reputable estate planning lawyer then the chances of making a mistake or two are high. Moreover, these errors can add up to a substantial amount. Not to mention possible problems for your family in the event something happens to you.
Bear in mind, the process of estate planning should reflect your specific circumstances. At the same time, laws relating to estate taxes often change. A website might not be up to date on these revisions. Thus, the documents you did yourself could end up becoming invalid.
Fortunately, the errors can be corrected later to validate the documents. However, you should know it will cost a lot more than if you had hired a legal expert to do it in the first place. What’s worse, the burden of payment would fall on your loved ones.
You Want to Remove All Doubts
DIY estate planning is trendy and convenient. However, the last thing you want to do is leave behind doubt for your loved ones to deal with. You can expect they’re already having a hard time coming to terms with your loss. Thus, you want to make sure your affairs are in order. Moreover, the documentation should leave no room for questions among your loved ones.
