# Advice on drawing up a will



## Jestomi (Dec 29, 2013)

We currently have some properties in Florida and we are trying to find the most economical way of creating a will so that in the event of either of us passing the properties would be passed onto each other or our children.
We looked on line and saw the legal zoom. com and the expat legal wills.com websites where you can us the templates available.
Does anyone know these sites or any other and if they are safe should something happen.
Your advice and comments would be most welcome.
Many thanks


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## BBCWatcher (Dec 28, 2012)

Those sites are pretty good for relatively simple estates within the scope of U.S. law. In fact, short of a will there are some decent non-will protections available, such as jointly titled assets, payable on death (POD) beneficiary accounts, custodial/UGMA accounts, and otherwise listed beneficiaries. Moreover, most U.S. tax-advantaged retirement accounts, such as 401(k) plans, automatically pass to a surviving spouse unless that spouse has explicitly waived his/her inheritance rights to that asset. I don't think a will can override that. There are also possible tax considerations, though that's really only if the total value of your estate is a fair bit more than $5.3 million or if non-U.S. taxes would apply.

Those are the financial aspects. At least as important, often, are the non-financial aspects, such as child custody and medical directives ("living will").

So it really depends how complex your situation is. If your assets and/or lives span borders, I don't think I'd rely exclusively on the legal advice Web sites. Also, I wouldn't forget the non-financial parts. Those are often at least as important.


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## Davis1 (Feb 20, 2009)

send me your email and I will send you a will in Word..
you can fill in and print


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## Simey (Dec 4, 2012)

Jestomi said:


> We currently have some properties in Florida and we are trying to find the most economical way of creating a will so that in the event of either of us passing the properties would be passed onto each other or our children.
> We looked on line and saw the legal zoom. com and the expat legal wills.com websites where you can us the templates available.
> Does anyone know these sites or any other and if they are safe should something happen.
> Your advice and comments would be most welcome.
> Many thanks


I'm a lawyer and I would not do my own will in your situation. 

Hire a qualified lawyer (no, not me). Seriously.


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## ForeignBody (Oct 20, 2011)

Jestomi said:


> We currently have some properties in Florida and we are trying to find the most economical way of creating a will so that in the event of either of us passing the properties would be passed onto each other or our children.
> We looked on line and saw the legal zoom. com and the expat legal wills.com websites where you can us the templates available.
> Does anyone know these sites or any other and if they are safe should something happen.
> Your advice and comments would be most welcome.
> Many thanks


Seriously, use a lawyer. Spending $150 to get it right is a small price to pay. That's what I paid.


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## Jestomi (Dec 29, 2013)

ForeignBody said:


> Seriously, use a lawyer. Spending $150 to get it right is a small price to pay. That's what I paid.


an you send me the name of your lawyer ...i was quoted between $2000 and $4000
Thanks


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## twostep (Apr 3, 2008)

Davis1 - taken care of:>)


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## BBCWatcher (Dec 28, 2012)

The quality of attorneys varies, as with any other service, so if you do enlist an attorney make sure as best you can you're getting value for money. Attorneys are advisable if you have a moderately or highly complex estate. Some people with particularly complex estates obtain a second, independent attorney's review.

The boilerplate wills available from legal Web sites are better than individually listing beneficiaries on assets (in particular because of living will additions), and listing beneficiaries is better than nothing. So while it might be advisable in particular circumstances to enlist a talented attorney or two, if you're unable to do that then something is better than nothing.


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## jasonpeters (Dec 19, 2013)

I think hiring a professional attorney should do it.


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## mikepond (Jan 4, 2009)

Please, please hire a professional estate planning attorney. I am a trust officer with a large US bank and I can assure you that using legal zoom or another will template will do more harm than good. I would recommend going to martindale.com and searching for an EP attorney in Florida to assist you.


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