Do-it-Yourself Estate Planning is Risky:

Creating Your Documents at LegalZoom and Other Do-It yourself Estate Planning Solutions

The problem is that the documents LegalZoom creates could be completely ineffective. They are less than basic and can miss  many important areas that are vital to your family planning.  In addition, we've had feedback from our clients that started there and realized they would be spending very closely to what our fees are, but receiving very little.  It was time consuming and complicated, leaving them with no one to assist them. What about future changes to your documents?  Still, no one to assist the them.

People who use LegalZoom and other do-it-yourself estate planning kits end up with a false sense of security. They create documents that they believe will address their estate planning needs. But with estate planning documents, they are unlikely to discover their mistakes.

Why? Because the mistakes will not become evident until after they become incapacitated or die. And the people who will be left to deal with the mistakes are usually the people the documents were supposed to protect.

You and your loved-ones deserve the advice of a lawyer who considers the facts of your particular situation. You deserve legal advice that is correct, complete and up-to-date. LegalZoom by its own admission does not provide that.

The bottom line

The money you save now could be spent many times over after you die to address legal issues about which you were not even aware.

Attorneys don’t simply fill in forms. Rather, we use the knowledge we have acquired during our many years of schooling and practice to advise you on the best way to protect your family, and preserve and distribute your assets in the manner you choose.

Your loved-ones are worth it. Wouldn’t you agree?

 

If you are a Star Trek fan, you’ve heard of Gene Roddenberry.

He is the man who created and produced the original Star Trek series and inspired the production of related shows including The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager and Enterprise.

Gene Roddenberry loved space. So much so, that he wanted to spend eternity in it.

After his death in 1991, his body was cremated. On April 21, 1997, a capsule carrying a portion of his ashes were launched into orbit aboard a rocket from near the Canary Islands. The capsule disintegrated in the atmosphere in 2004.

Last year, a company called Celestis, Inc, which specializes in “memorial spaceflights” announced that it will ship the rest of Gene Roddenberry’s cremated remains, along with those of his wife, Majel Barrett, into space in 2012. The remains will be transported deeper into space and will not return to earth.

Leona Helmsley left her dog, Trouble, $12 million in trust, but that amount seems paltry considering the amount Austrian Countess Carlotta Liebenstein left her dog.

When she died in 1991, she left her entire $80 million fortune to a German Shepherd called Gunther III. This allowed the dog, and a puppy he later fathered, to live in a mansion. Gunther III, died a month later, leaving his fortune to his offspring, Gunther IV, who is now reportedly worth $372 million.

A few years ago, Gunther’s caretakers reportedly purchased the celebrity Madonna’s home on Gunther IV’s behalf for $7 million. Evidently, the dog now has free rein of the grounds and house, which includes a doggie playroom.

We've developed relationships with a number of trusted Financial Advisors, Insurance agents, CPA's, etc. over the last several years. We are happy to recommend any of our colleagues below if you need any financial help or advice.