When you look into the topic of wills on the Internet, you see any number of fill-in-the-blanks DIY will kits being offered, and this is very interesting. These days more and more people are choosing to do things for themselves that they once entrusted to professionals, and there are many motivations behind this trend. For one thing, whenever the economy is less than what it could be there will be those who try to economize in any way that they can. One way of saving money is to roll up your sleeves and do things yourself rather than hiring someone else to do them, and it is hard to fault anyone for being willing to put in some extra work as a response to challenging economic times.

Other people engage in do-it-yourself projects not so much because they want to save money, but because they simply enjoy them and these projects become more of a hobby and less of a chore. Once again, this is a productive way to spend some free time, but you have to pick your spots when it comes to the DIY mentality. There are some things the layman can learn how to do effectively and others that are best left to the professionals. Drawing up your will would most certainly fit into the latter category.

To put it simply, a will is a document that may well be directing the distribution of hundreds of thousands of dollars of assets, and maybe much more than that in some cases. Is it wise to send $19.95 to an Internet marketer and then fill in the pre-packaged template yourself given the gravity of the matter? Even if your estate is very limited and the will seems simple enough, each state has different probate laws and these kits are “one size fits all” without regard to jurisdictional venue. Don’t be fooled. Drawing up a will is a serious matter, and it is something that requires the assistance of a probate lawyer who is familiar with the laws that are local to you.

Tags: Estate Planning, Inheritance Planning, Wills and Trusts