We need to do some estate planning. I work at a law firm, and the firm gives its staff one hour free estate planning work, then charges standard fees after that. I was told it’d probably come to about $1,500 to $2,000 total. Yikes!
Our estate is relatively uncomplicated: no kids or grandkids, standard property not running into a huge dollar amount. So I’m looking into do-it-yourself estate planning software.
Is this a good idea? Are any brands particularly recommended? Has anyone else gone this route and has advice? Thanks for any help.
For our wills and health care directives we used Nolo’s Willmaker, which was pretty easy. Like you we have no kids and small finacial footprint. Nolo also has a section for setting up living trusts and estate planning. Make sure you get the right forms for your state.
I haven’t heard any good software that can do your estate planning like a DIY software but why not try consulting to other firm. They might help you or might give you a smaller consulting fee.
Errr…might I humbly suggest that you need to understand estate planning laws in your jurisdiction before setting out on any particular course? It boggles my mind that “software” could replace a lawyers knowledge and experience. I’ve spent nearly 30 years (in NZ) doing wills and trusts for people on a bespoke basis because every family is unique.