Many people think they can make a do-it-yourself (“DIY”) will and be done with their estate planning. Unfortunately, this is not true for many people. A will can be an important part of an estate plan, but usually is not the only thing that should be included in your plan. Not only that, but when you make a will on your own, you could miss important stuff that should be a part of your will.
Parman & Easterday can assist you in creating a legally valid will that allows you to control what happens after you pass away. Our legal team can help with other estate planning steps that could be important to securing your own and your family’s future.
Give us a call to find out what Oklahoma City estate planning lawyers can do for you and to find out about the things you will miss out on if you try to make a DIY will.
Five Things You Could Miss Out on When You Make a DIY Will
If you decide to make a DIY will instead of getting professional help with a comprehensive estate plan, you could miss out on some important things:
- Professional legal advice: Attorneys are the only ones authorized to give legal advice. Legacy planning is one of the most important legal issues you will face in your life. With something as important as plans for incapacity, illness, or death you don’t want to take a chance on making mistakes.
- A review of the validity of the will: A DIY will may not be valid under the laws of the state where you live and/or own property, as each state has its own rules and requirements for making a last will and testament. Don’t trust generic or standard forms because these forms may not be up-to-date or made for your area. You need to talk with an experienced attorney about how to make your will, how to ensure it is valid, and what to include in it.
- Skilled professionals who can attest to your competence: You want help from an experienced attorney who can advise you how to reduce the chance your will could be successfully contested on the grounds you were not competent at the time the will was created.
- The chance to make your will as complete as it should be: You want to ensure your will addresses all the issues you care about. This could mean disinheriting a child or adding a no contest clause in your will to reduce the chances someone will dispute the will’s validity. It could mean making specific provisions for money going to minor children, such as including provisions from the Uniform Transfers to Minors Act or establishing a trust to control the money until a specified age, while still making the funds available for education or health needs. Trying to do this with a DIY will is just asking for an extended period in probate at best and in the will not being honored at worst.
- Comprehensive estate planning advice: A will isn’t always sufficient to achieve your legacy goals. For example, when you create a will, you cannot do anything to reduce or avoid estate tax. If you talk with an estate planning lawyer, you can make certain you use all the estate planning tools you need.
You cannot trust a DIY will is to provide you and your family with the benefits and protections you need to leave the strongest possible legacy. You should talk with Parman & Easterday to get help planning and executing a detailed strategy to address end-of-life issues and provide for your loved ones after you are gone.
Getting Help from An Oklahoma City Wills and Trusts Lawyer
Your last will and testament is simply too important to make a DIY will. You don’t want to take a chance on your will not being valid and not being probated, thus leaving your legacy to be determined by intestacy law. You also don’t want to miss out on creating essential estate planning documents needed to fully protect yourself and the people you love.
You should join us for a free seminar to find out about the estate planning process and about why you need professional legal help to get the process right. If you are ready to get legal advice from a knowledgeable and compassionate attorney who knows elder law and who can help you to leave a strong legacy, give us a call today at (405) 843-6100 or contact us online today.
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