DIY is a popular acronym for “do it yourself.” Every day, people go on-line to do such things as get the news, communicate with friends and manage their bank account. The personal computer and the internet have revolutionized our lives.
These days people can even go online to create DIY legal documents, such as wills and trusts, without the assistance of an attorney. Is this taking DIY too far?
THE PROBLEM: Unlike a video to teach you how to refinish Grandma’s dining room table or bake your first pineapple upside down cake, DIY estate plans do not give you immediate feedback as to whether or not the project was a success. Technical problems with finished documents may not be obvious. Problems may only be revealed after you pass away when it is too late to fix them. Such problems often cost families far more than whatever money was saved creating them.
In order to create an estate plan that will meet your family’s needs, consultation with an attorney is key to success. After twenty plus years of helping families through the difficult times of death and mental incapacity, our attorneys have an understanding of what planning provisions “work” and what factors cause a family to fracture.
