Estate planning is an essential part of aging and preparing your finances and legal decisions. If you are new to estate planning and trying to gather the documents that you need, using a downloadable package of forms that you just fill out might seem tempting.
Using downloadable estate planning forms may not be the best approach, and for good reason.
Compliance with state regulations
Every state has its own guidelines and limitations for estate planning documents. When you use forms from online resources, those forms are often not compliant with your state’s regulations. In those cases, your estate plan may be unenforceable. When using any forms from an online resource
Insufficient information for proper estate plan execution
Estate plans must have specific witness signatures and execution information, including asset transfers and documentation. When you use online forms for your estate management portfolio, those forms may be insufficient for the necessary legal process.
Lack of custom options
Every planner’s needs are different and each estate plan is unique. When you create your estate plan, you need documents that accurately reflect your personal needs. This ensures that you account for all of your assets.
Insufficient guidance for proper selections
Some key elements of estate plans are guardianship, beneficiary and executor appointments. Making those choices can be challenging, and working with online forms is impersonal and will not provide you with the guidance you might need to make those selections.
Online forms are generic, standard templates that may not fit your personal needs or your state’s guidelines.
