Need a will

Write it out on a piece of paper and go get it notarized.

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Don’t want to spend 500 on a will. My estate is pretty simple(2 sons split evenly). What are some good options?

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Do you have beneficiaries specified on your accounts?
Do you have your medical POA squared away as well? That's probably more important.
Have you written down your wishes in case you're unable to make your own healthcare decisions?
How about the funeral? Cremation or burial?
Do you keep and actively update a list of people who should be contacted if something happens?

Write it on a piece of paper in your own handwriting. No notarization necessary.

Legalzoom is going to make so many attorneys so much damn money from people doing their own documents

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Legalzoom is going to make so many attorneys so much damn money from people doing their own documents

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Yep.

How's it going? How did the job search turn out?

Doing great man, have my own little practice and things are going well.

How's the new gig?

I charge $600-$650 for the basic will package. That's about two and a half hours of my time. Those documents will last you 5-10 years. Well worth the $10/month for the peace of mind knowing that if something happens to you and you become incapacitated someone you want will be able to step in and handle your shite. Poorly drafted documents from cheap attorneys or legal zoom documents = recipe for disaster down the road.

Then when you get married or have more substantial assets you can update your plan and maybe add a trust or get into some more complicated asset protection.

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Legalzoom worked fine for me. Have it notarized and you're done.

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You're not dead yet, so you don't really know how well it worked.

Even getting a valid form notarized is fraught with peril if you get Hazel down at the bank or Judy with a notary sign in her yard to do it. Sorry lawyers screw it up too.

For example, wills have been kicked out because the notary and witnesses did not all sign in front of each other (as in, Chester, can you come in here and witness what we just signed while you were watching the game?).

And how good is that form? I agree with this guy:

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Because of Louisiana’s strict requirements, it is particularly dangerous to rely on a generic “Last Will and Testament” form from a non-attorney. Failure to get the form exactly right will result in an invalid document or, perhaps worse, lead to estate litigation. Although this is true in most states, it is especially important in Louisiana due to Louisiana’s unique civil law system. Most companies that prepare generic will forms are not familiar with these rules.

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LINK

Get Powers of Attorney

We are dealing with older parents now, and the powers of attorney have been a godsend. They've allowed us to talk to the docs about medical issues, handle the sale and purchase of two homes, deal with tax assessor issues, etc. Those could have been a nightmare without the POAs.

Folks often wait until pops is in a coma or is in dementia to think about it, and then it is too late. An incompetent person can't grant a POA, but if it was done right beforehand, the POA will continue to be valid even after he loses competency.