Creating a Will

[Gorilla]

We have recently had a child and wanted to create a will.

A co worker of mine who is a legal assistant says that she can do it easily and I found some sites that can do it easily as well or should we get lawyer?

Any recommendations or tips -

[Toma]

Originally posted by Gorilla
We have recently had a child and wanted to create a will.

A co worker of mine who is a legal assistant says that she can do it easily and I found some sites that can do it easily as well or should we get lawyer?

Any recommendations or tips -

Makes no difference really, you can even do your own, just need 2 witnesses.

The will is easy, the probate at the end is what sucks. Also make sure your taxes are current and in order, to make life easier on your survivor.

Also a good idea to have joint accounts wherever possible. Gives your joint survivor instant access, and finacial means, instead of waiting months or years on the probate. This applies to any assets, bank, house, stocks etc.

Also, make a list of all assets, account numbers, passwords etc and store them in a known location.

As we found out, the will is the easy part.

[Boat]

I went the traditional method with a lawyer and it was pretty painless. My lawyer quoted 300 for a will. But they offered 450 for will, power of attorney, and personal directive as a bundle.

I'm sure you can get everything cheaper but my experience with the lawyer drafting everything was great.

The lawyer sent me an initial questionaire, then I came in to discuss some small details about my forms. A few days later I picked up the hard copies.

The only tip is that you should have personal directive and power of attorney in case you are in a coma or you are in a vegetative state.