Online Wills and Will Kits from Amazon may seem tempting. You might think “$20 to prepare my Will – that’s a fantastic deal compared to paying hundreds to a lawyer!” Online Wills and Will Kits appear too good to be true – because they are. Here are just a few of the reason homemade Wills are risky:
- Popular Will Kits are not kept up to date with the current estate planning laws. Will Kits are sold online and in bookstore but are not edited often enough to stay up to date with estate planning laws that are often subject to change.
- After you pass away, someone may decide to dispute your homemade will and, if so, they can challenge it if certain critical details were over looked, as is often the case when using Will Kits, such as:
- the Will wasn’t signed in front of two witnesses
- the Will was signed in front of two witnesses, but one or both of the witnesses are also named as an executor, beneficiary or guardian in the Will
- you did not have mental capacity when signing the Will
- you made the Will under duress
If you decide to prepare a homemade Will, the biggest risk of all is that you are losing out on receiving crucial legal advice. Estate planning lawyers have seen and heard it all and can advise you regarding potential scenarios that you would never have thought about.
These are only a few of the risks that can leave your homemade Will open to challenge and potential disaster for your loved ones left to deal with your estate. Nothing beats having a proper Will put with in place with the help of a qualified lawyer.
More information? We’re here to help – [email protected] This WARDS LAWYERS PC publication is for general information only. It is not legal advice, nor is it intended to be. Specific or more information may be necessary before advice could be provided for your particular circumstances.
