When people first start looking into getting an estate plan, many of them start by looking online for information. They type some keywords into a search engine and visit the pages that show up looking for information. That might be how many of you got to this page and why you are reading now. If that is you, then you need to be careful. Unfortunately, there are many unscrupulous people online who are trying to sell you bad estate documents that you do not want or need.
These bad documents can take on several different forms. The most common are “Will” packages or “Trust” packages. These are just form documents and everyone gets the exact same thing. Not everyone needs the same Will or Trust, as these need to be specifically tailored to each person’s individual needs. Another common thing to see sold online today are estate planning organizers. These are just overly expensive checklists and folders designed to help you gather the information that you need to start making a real estate plan. They are nothing more than an unnecessary expense.
The best advice that you can get about looking for estate planning information online is to make sure that the information you are reading comes from an attorney who does estate planning. The second best piece of advice is not to spend a single penny on an estate plan until you talk to an actual attorney.
Stephen A. Mendel, Estate Planning Attorney
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