Skip to content
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Parman & Easterday

Oklahoma Estate Planning Attorneys

Call Now: (405) 843-6100 |
(918) 615-2700

Attend an Education Program-OKC Area
  • Home
  • Our Firm
    • About Our Firm
    • Attorney and Staff Profiles
    • What Our Clients Say
  • Estate Planning
    • Asset Protection
    • Business Succession Planning
    • Estate and Gift Tax Figures
    • Estate Planning Services
    • Family-Owned Businesses & Farms
    • Financial Planning Assistance
    • IRA and Retirement Planning
    • Legacy Planning
    • LGBTQ Estate Planning
    • Pet Planning
    • Powers of Attorney
    • Probate
    • SECURE Act
    • Special Needs Planning
    • Trust Administration
    • Oklahoma Wills and Trusts
    • Young Families
  • Elder Law
    • Coping With Alzheimer’s
    • Elder Law
    • Emergency Medicaid
    • Guardianship & Conservatorship
    • Hospice Care
    • Medicaid Planning
    • Veteran’s Benefits
  • Resources
    • Asset Protection Worksheet
    • DocuBank
    • Elder Law
      • Elder Law & Medicaid Definitions
      • Elder Law Reports
      • Elder Law Resources
        • Edmond Elder Law
        • Oklahoma City Elder Law
        • Yukon Elder Law
      • Medicaid
      • Nursing Home Resources
    • Estate Planning
      • An Overview of Estate and Gift Taxes
      • Estate Planning Checkup
      • Estate Planning Definitions
      • Estate Planning Reports
      • Incapacity Planning Definitions
      • Is Your Estate Plan Outdated?
      • Top 10 Estate and Legacy Planning Techniques
    • Free Estate Planning Worksheet
    • Frequently Asked Questions
      • Alzheimer’s Frequently Asked Questions
      • Asset Protection Planning
      • Digital Estate Planning
      • Estate and Gift Tax FAQs
      • Estate Planning
      • Estate Planning for Blended Families
      • Estate Plan Review
      • Elder Law
      • Frequently Asked Questions for Families Without an Estate Plan
      • Incentive Trust
      • Inheritance Planning for Minors
      • IRA and Inheritance Planning
      • Legacy Wealth Planning
      • LGBTQ Estate Planning
      • Medicaid Planning
      • Nursing Home Asset Protection
      • Outdated Documents
      • Probate
      • Small Business Succession Planning
      • Special Needs Planning
      • Trust Administration
      • Trust Administration & Probate
      • Wills and Trusts
    • Micro Webinar – Wills
    • Newsletters
    • Probate and Trust Administration
      • Bereavement Resources
      • How to Know if You Need Extra Help With Your Grieving
      • Loss of a Loved One
      • Probate Checklist
      • The Mourner’s Bill of Rights
      • Things You Need To Do When a Loved One Passes Away With a Trust
      • Things You Need To Do When a Loved One Passes Away With a Will
      • Trust Administration & Probate Definitions
    • Probate Resources
      • Midwest City Probate
      • Moore Probate
      • Oklahoma City Probate
    • Published Books
    • Pre Consultation Form
    • Year-End Estate Planning Checklist
  • Communities We Serve
    • Canadian County
      • Yukon
    • Cleveland County
      • Moore
      • Norman
    • Oklahoma County
      • Edmond
      • Midwest City
      • Nichols Hills
      • Oklahoma City
    • Tulsa
      • Owasso
    • Washington County
      • Bartlesville
  • Reviews
    • Our Reviews
    • Review Us
  • BLOG
  • Contact Us
Home » Estate Planning » Why An Online Will Is A Really Bad Idea

Why An Online Will Is A Really Bad Idea

January 31, 2017 by Larry Parman, Estate Planning Attorney, Author, Speaker

Laptop

Many people who decide they need a will are going to consider an online will. You should NOT make your last will and testament using an Internet website or a kit you buy on the Internet. Your last will and testament is one of the most important documents you will make over the course of your lifetime and it is vital to ensuring your family’s financial security in the future. Making a DIY will using sources you find on the Internet is asking for problems you cannot afford with something this important.

Instead of trying to make an online will, you should get comprehensive legal advice about the creation of a full estate plan. Parman & Easterday can help you create a legally valid last will and testament and other estate planning tools to provide you and your loved ones with the security you need for an uncertain future.

Give us a call to talk with an Oklahoma City wills and trusts lawyer to find out more about why making a will on the Internet is a bad idea and to discover what an estate planning lawyer can do for you.

Why an Online Will is a BAD Idea

An online will is a bad idea for a huge number of reasons, but some of the key reasons why it is a bad idea to try to make your will yourself over the Internet include the following:

  • An online will may not be valid. Each state has very specific rules to follow regarding what should be included when a will is created and how a will must be written, signed, and witnessed. When you use the Internet or an online kit, you may end up thinking you have a legally valid last will and testament when what you wind up with really isn’t an enforceable will in your state.
  • An online will may not be comprehensive. You want to make sure your will covers the important issues that matter to you. This usually means not just determining who inherits assets, but it could also address other important issues, such as making plans for guardianship of your underaged children.
  • A will may not be the best or only estate planning tool you need. If you are leaving money to someone under 18, disabled, or bad with money, there are better tools to use than a last will and testament. Simply leaving money in a will could actually cause a number of problems. You need to use the right estate planning documents to protect your heirs or beneficiaries so the gift you give is a blessing.

Depending upon your family and personal situation, there may be many other reasons why an online will is NOT going to be sufficient to provide needed protections for you and the people you love.

Why You Should Get Help Creating Your Will

If you get the right legal help from an experienced attorney, your attorney can make sure you follow the formalities needed to make your last will and testament a legally valid will, one that is likely to be enforced during the probate process so your wishes are respected.

Your attorney will help you include the essential clauses you need for the protection of your family, and will help you take steps to avoid estate tax if applicable to your estate. With help from an experienced attorney, you can also make full and effective use of a wide variety of estate planning tools, like trusts, that provide you with more control and provide essential protections for your heirs or beneficiaries.

You do not want your legacy to result in family fighting.  You don’t want your loved ones to be left without an inheritance they should have received because of problems with your will or the high costs of probate resulting from a contested will. If you work with a good estate planning lawyer, your attorney can make the estate planning process simple, easy and effective and provide you and your loved ones with the protections you deserve.

Getting Help from An Oklahoma City Wills and Trusts Lawyer

Parman & Easterday helps with the creation of last wills and testaments and much more. Give us a call today at (405) 843-6100 or  contact us online to talk with an Oklahoma City wills and trusts lawyer who can assist with an estate plan that works for your family. You can also join us for a free seminar for more information on the estate planning process. Reach out today and get your plan in place so your family’s future is no longer uncertain.

  • Author
  • Recent Posts
Larry Parman, Estate Planning Attorney, Author, Speaker
Larry Parman, Estate Planning Attorney, Author, Speaker
Founder and Owner at Parman & Easterday
Larry Parman's dad died at 56 in a farm accident with no estate plan. His family spent two years fighting the IRS and nearly three years in probate. That experience became Larry's life work.

Since founding Parman & Easterday in 1985, Larry has led over 1,000 free, community-service education programs and helped more than 10,000 Oklahoma families go from putting off their estate plan to getting it done. His goal for every client is the same: to become the person their family calls "the one who took care of everything."

Larry is the author of three books: The Straight Shooter's Guide to Estate Planning; Estate Planning Basics; and Guiding Those Left Behind in Oklahoma. He served as Oklahoma's Secretary of State and Secretary of Commerce, and his firm is the only member of the American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys in the state.
Larry Parman, Estate Planning Attorney, Author, Speaker
Latest posts by Larry Parman, Estate Planning Attorney, Author, Speaker (see all)
  • Pro Tip: Plan Your Estate While You Still Can - October 15, 2026
  • Can You Use AI to Plan Your Estate? - October 13, 2026
  • Choosing the Right Successor Trustee: Key Considerations - October 8, 2026

Filed Under: Estate Planning, Uncategorized

Other Articles You May Find Useful

Joint Living Trust
Legacy Planning Explained: Beyond Dollars and Cents
A Will
Alzheimer’s Alone Makes Incapacity Planning a Must
Funding You Living Trust Dont Overlook The Most Important Step
Funding Your Living Trust: Don’t Overlook the Most Important Step
Estate Planning Procrastination
How Much Will My Heirs Pay in Estate Taxes?
Estate Planning For Oil And Gas Royalties
Estate Planning for Oil and Gas Royalties and Mineral Owners
Inheritance Planning Single Women
Avoiding Probate in Oklahoma: Strategies to Simplify Your Estate Plan

Primary Sidebar

Parman & Easterday, LLP

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR BLOG

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Where We Are

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK
13913 Quail Pointe Dr Ste B
Oklahoma City, OK 73134
Phone: (405) 843-6100
Fax: (405) 917-7018

MAP

parman_sidbr_map

Where We Are

TULSA, OK
By Appointment for Current Clients Only
7633 E 63rd Pl Suite 312,
Tulsa, OK 74133
Phone: (918) 615-2700
Fax: (405) 917-7018

Map

parman_sidbr_map

Footer

footer-logo

The information on this Oklahoma Law Firm website is for general information purposes only. Nothing on this or associated pages, documents, comments, answers, emails, or other communications should be taken as legal advice for any individual case or situation. This information on this website is not intended to create, and receipt or viewing of this information does not constitute, an attorney-client relationship.

Oklahoma City Estate Planning Attorneys at Parman & Easterday offer estate planning services in the Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Oklahoma and surrounding areas. Contact us for help today.

Privacy Policy | Contact Us | Disclaimer | Site Map | Powered by American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys


© 2026 American Academy of Estate Planning Attorneys, Inc.
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube