Legalzoom vs actual attorney - want to put a will in place.

In a similar situation here (sans kids). I’m thinking to do it online. Being in a community property state (as is Texas) most everything defaults to my spouse. Most things like bank and brokerage accounts can be assigned POD or right to survivorship. After getting reamed on legal fees for the most basic of prenups I’m heavily leaning towards avoiding attorneys especially with my basic estate setup. With good planning, you should be able to avoid probate before it even gets to the will. (Unless you’re in Louisiana in which case you’re screwed).

Invest heavily in physical gold and bury it all in the yard and make a treasure map for your kids to find it but the map only appears when you die. Not sure how to do that one


You could probably make it educational somehow

I do this for a living. We love when people do their own planning online. It costs 10x+ to fix mistakes on the back end. And puts your family through a living hell for many months (sometimes years).

quote:

---

Also, stipulate how life insurance etc would be distributed.

---

You can probably accomplish that by designating the beneficiaries on your policy.

I would no sooner use a website for estate planning than I would use one for dental work. Others, however, may prefer to save money and use DentalZoom.com.

With AI, the day will come when a legal site is reliable. We are not there yet by a long shot.

quote:

---

We love when people do their own planning online. It costs 10x+ to fix mistakes on the back end.

---

50% of all assets to each kid. What mistakes are there to make?

$4500 is high for a simple will and insurance trust.
Shop around.

quote:

---

I do this for a living. We love when people do their own planning online. It costs 10x+ to fix mistakes on the back end.

---

Ouch! That's a painfully morbid admission.

quote:

---

And puts your family through a living hell for many months (sometimes years).

---

Yet you "love it"?
Dude!
Really?

quote:

---

want to designate who our kids would go to if we passed.

---

you mean God Parents, you heathen?

Tell the lawyer you are getting 3 quotes and then get 3 quotes. If they aren't putting their best foot forward for your business, you don't want to waste their or your time.

As far as the "capability" of an online legal assistance, you are fine until you aren't.

If no one contests anything, then everything you draw on your own should stand.
If someone contests, then your planning is fricked. The best lawyer wins. Always. I dont care if you spend $6k.




As for wills, I've been told that the magic words are "whomever contests the will is removed from said will completely and entirely". That makes people more likely to behave and keep a rational mind. But again, whomever has the big lawyer can mess up any plan.



As for the future, im optimistic about AI. I dont know that it is at a safe level today. But it is only a matter of time. I've seen leaps and bounds in my industry in the past 2 years. There are still "misfires". And I don't know how quickly they will resolve. But it is close.

AI teaches people a few blind spots that they may have not noticed. It is a great "2nd" or "3rd" opinion, today.

Ironically, the blind spots that have been presented to me were completely irrelevant (and almost a distraction from real pertinent issues). But I was impressed at the depth of the issues raised even if they weren't relevant to the specific examples.