You can create a will by purchasing a form online and filing it out. However, it makes no sense to do so.
One of the biggest questions people have about estate planning today, is whether they should use one of the several online legal document services.
These services allow people to purchase forms they can download and fill out for themselves that purport to be legal documents. Many people have made their own wills this way.
The problem is that there is no actual advantage to creating a will this way, as MoneySense pointed out in “Danger of DIY Wills.”
The one advantage people think these online wills have is that they are cheaper than going to an estate planning attorney. However, that is not really the case.
It is true that you might be able to save a few hundred dollars now by doing things yourself. If there are any problems with the documents you purchased after you pass away, then your estate is going to pay a lot more money to attorneys to sort out the problems than you might save now.
There are almost always problems with form wills.
The source of the problems is always the same.
You are not an expert.
You might think you know what the best legal options are for your estate, but you are almost certainly wrong.
Do not be offended by that.
Unless you happen to be a surgeon, you do not know how to take out your own appendix either.
Estate planning requires expertise every bit as much as surgery.
Reference: MoneySense (July 14, 2017) “Danger of DIY Wills.”
