Pros and cons of do-it-yourself wills

On Behalf of | Jan 18, 2019 | Wills And Trusts |

Society is shifting into a do-it-yourself mentality. The Internet offers a variety of outlets and resources that make personal projects conquerable. A person can simply type a task into a search engine, and millions of results pop up on how to go about it. Turning to online services for creating new wills is gaining popularity. This option can be cheap, quick and easy. However, like many aspects of estate planning, some matters are more complex than others.

There are undeniably some advantages to making a will by yourself, which includes:

  • It can be fairly simple. Many Americans do not have wills, so an online service makes it easier to create a simple will at home. Having a simple will is better than having no will at all.
  • It is pretty cheap. Most online services cost little to nothing at all. Some sites even offer advice from lawyers, and you can buy a monthly subscription to work on legal documents.
  • It takes little time. Simple things usually do not take up too much time. Online services modify the process so it is quicker for users.

Despite some of the high notes, drafting a legal document without legal help has some drawbacks, such as:

  • Things get overlooked. Without legal guidance, there is the potential of missed opportunities.
  • One size does not fit all. A simple will covers the basics. However, some individuals have more complex finances.In this case, it is best for a professional to assist with these assets.
  • More room for errors. LegalZoom reports that 80 percent of users make mistakes when creating their wills online. Most of the time, no one will be there to catch errors. As a result, you could run into issues down the road.