The Pros and Cons of Using Online Tools to Create Wills

People are using the Internet to do more than ever today, and there is now the option to create wills and other estate planning documents online. But is this a legitimate option for people looking to truly ensure the security of their documents?

The following are a few of the pros and cons to using online tools for writing wills:

The pros

• You can write the will from the comfort of your own home without having to go back and forth from estate planning meetings. The online forms make it significantly easier to get the document prepared.
• Writing a will in the traditional way could take significantly longer than using online tools. You could have your will written in just 20 minutes if it’s a simple one.

The cons

• One of the biggest criteria in creating a will is that the person writing it must be of sound mind. Having personal interaction with a lawyer, a health care professional or some other official can help to prove you are indeed of sound mind at the time of creating your will, but this kind of interaction only comes in person. There might be more challenges to wills created online.

• Online wills do not give you the same kind of flexibility to include personal or complex wishes in your will.

• When you meet with an attorney, you are able to take advantage of his or her wealth of knowledge about estate planning and get some outstanding legal advice tailored to your personal situation. You simply don’t have this kind of resource available when drafting a will online.

For more information and guidance on drafting a will, speak with a knowledgeable Orlando estate planning attorney at Gierach & Gierach, P.A.