At Esser, Bradley and Khalsa, PPLC, we are all in favor of American independence and tackling jobs yourself. As long as you do not try to tackle drafting your own estate planning documents.
Why?
Because there simply are some jobs that are best left to the professionals. And doing your own estate plan is one of them.
Too Easy to Get Wrong. Impossible to Fix.
One of the main reasons why you should not attempt to draft your own estate documents (wills, trusts, etc.) is that it is too easy to make mistakes. And once made, it is impossible if not nearly impossible to fix them.
For example, all wills are required to comply with certain formalities. If you draft your own will and for whatever reason fail to meet every will formality, your will could be held to be invalid either in whole or in part. Meaning that the court could throw the whole thing out, or a certain bequest would not go to the person you wanted it to go to.
Mistakes in drafting can result in expensive and time-consuming probate (if your will is invalid) or expensive and time-consuming will contests (to prove it invalid). Either way, you won’t be around to explain or fix the problem; leaving your loved ones to shoulder the burden.
Your Estate Planning is Too Important to Not Have it Professionally Done.
Another reason why we do not recommend trying to do your own estate planning is because your estate plan is critical to the proper disbursement of your property and to the protection of your loved ones.
When you use online forms or non-attorney sources you cannot get the legal and/or tax advice that you may need to make good choices and informed decisions. As a result, you could make big mistakes that may result in your estate being swallowed up in taxes or unnecessary litigation.
Don’t Take Chances.
We cannot stress enough how important it is for you to have estate planning documents to protect yourself and your loved ones before the inevitable (your death) happens.
But equally important is the fact that you have these documents prepared by experienced trusts and estates counsel. If you have questions or need help putting an estate plan in place or updating the one you have, call us. We offer creative, affordable Will packages through our Legacy Estate Planning process. We have offices in Sedona, Arizona. We serve Verde Valley and all of Arizona. We offer free consultations and we can help you with your estate planning needs. E-mail us here or call 928-282-1483 to set up your free appointment.
