Why This DIY Will & Trust Option Works (and When It Doesn’t)
What’s better about this DIY will and trust option?
It’s designed to solve the problems with other DIY and online forms options.
For more than 15 years I’ve been reviewing wills and trusts, creating new ones and fixing problems with existing ones, as well as guiding clients through the probate and trust administration process after the death of a loved one.
Since 2011 I’ve seen DIY wills and online trusts that left the kids out (when they were supposed to inherit everything), I’ve read documents so unclear that they created more problems than they solved, so simplistic that they didn’t sufficiently address essentials like dealing with the family home or retirement accounts, and I’ve seen what it costs people (in money, time, emotions, energy, and damage to relationships).
We needed a better DIY option. So I created one.
It’s easier to fill out. The essentials are baked in. Thorough documents, that contain the provisions that financial institutions, title companies, and courts need to see to achieve your goals.
You have the right to decide who inherits your assets, who takes care of your kids and pets, and who takes care of you in an emergency. And now you have a better way to exercise those rights.
The Problem With Most DIY Estate Planning Options
Since 2011 I’ve had clients ask me to review the wills and trusts they created on those forms websites we’ve all heard of. Their situations were simple, a house, a retirement account, savings; all to my spouse and then my kids. But the reality was the trust said that the kids would be doing all the work and inheriting none of the assets. Or there would be massive ambiguities, ripe for arguments, misunderstandings, court battles, and siblings never speaking to each other again.
The point of creating an estate plan is to make sure your kids and pets are cared for by the people you choose, your trusted people can be there for you in an emergency (and have the power to take care of you), and that your assets make it to the people you care about, instead of getting decimated by probate costs.
The online legal forms options out there not only invite errors and fail to adequately guide people through their completion, they just do not have the detailed language and documents to do what these documents are supposed to do.
Why “Simple” or “Basic” Isn’t Enough
A “simple” or “basic” will or trust might seem like a good idea - easier to understand, shorter reading - but it’s pretty useless if it doesn’t include the language necessary to accomplish common needs.
Title companies, lenders, and financial institutions require certain things to complete fundamental transactions like loans. sales, and distributions from retirement accounts.
A simple power of attorney may be better than nothing, but if it doesn’t allow your trusted agent to handle your RMDs for you, it may be harder to pay for your care and your bills.
Hospitals need clear guidance on who can do what when you’re not able to make decisions for yourself.
So Why Choose This DIY Option?
All of that and more:
Created by a California attorney who’s been reviewing, drafting, and administering wills, trusts, and probate for over 15 years, and is now obsessing over creating the best possible DIY options.
The option to have me review your work and give you the peace of mind that your DIY docs are completed correctly and will do what you need and want them to do.
The option to upgrade to working with me one-on-one if you decide that DIY isn’t for you after all, and get a credit for the cost of your DIY option (must upgrade within 6 months of purchase).
What’s the right next step for you?
This DIY option was created for people who want to DIY while avoiding the common pitfalls, with a more thoughtful, comprehensive alternative to generic forms and the option of attorney review.
If you don’t want to DIY, your circumstances are more complex, or you just want me to handle it for you — book a consult to discuss next steps.