I teach an Estate Planning 101 Class, and one of the most frequent questions I get is about using “Do-It-Yourself” forms.

I always advise people to steer clear of do-it-yourself forms. Now, I know what you’re thinking:

“Natasha, you’re an attorney….of COURSE you want me to pay YOU instead of just doing it myself”

In reality (this will shock you) I make WAY more money by fixing the mistakes from “Do It Yourself” estate planning documents.

Forms assume that you have a Donna Reed/June Cleaver, Leave It To Beaver type of family. But that’s just simply not the case nowadays. With blended families, family drama, beneficiaries with creditor issues, same sex couples, etc. our lives are way more complex.

Your estate planning attorney is not there to merely fill out a form. Instead I, along with other estate planners use our knowledge to prepare an estate plan based on your unique circumstances and in a manner that will ensure that your wishes are carried out after your death.

Your estate planning lawyer knows a lot of stuff that you couldn’t possibly know.
It’s that old phrase: “you don’t know what you don’t know”.

We’ve learned a lot through our years of education and our experience, especially in probating estates and learning from the mistakes others made.

Realize that you are oftentimes not saving yourself money by using do-it-yourself forms. In fact, as an attorney, I make WAY more money fixing other people’s mistakes from DIY forms!

If you need help with a drafting a wills and Trusts in Middle Tennessee, I would love to assist you! Just schedule an Estate Planning Strategy Session with me here: http://FranklinEstateLaw.com/our-process