When our first child was born, the last thing in our budget was money to do wills. Even basic wills done by a lawyer starts at 300 dollars. In the meantime, anyone with children or property needs a will to direct their wishes in the event of an untimely death. Durable power of attorney and health directives are a good idea as well. Willmaker software allows you to prepare forms of all of these documents along with a living will that are legal in your choice of states.

If your wishes and directions are complicated, you may need to go directly to a lawyer. If you are tight on money, this may be a good place to start so that your preparation to creating these legal documents is not billed at the hourly rate of an attorney. Willmaker software is limited on options. For example you can easily nominate guardians, specify trusts and bequeaths to multiple parties, but there is no option to deny fiduciary responsibility. Another limit is that the will is not expandable. While most states will automatically add a child to a will if they are not included, Willmaker requires a name and birthdate for anyone included in the will as a child. Thus, it will not include "children of the marriage of ..."

For those needing only a simple will, living will, power or attorney or requests for final arrangements, Willmaker does offer you the option of redoing your documents whenever needed. Be aware that the print job is a long one and you must find a notary public and multiple witnesses to validate the documents prepared. Also realize that storage is your responsibility. Will services from a lawyer generally include vault storage. The will is available to parties to the will immediately following the death. Storing a will in a safety deposit box is a bad idea, as the bank closes the safety deposit box in the event of death until probate is complete in most states.

When installation is complete on your system, Willmaker guides you through an interview. The questions are explained in the manual in simple easy to understand language. Willmaker completes a worksheet of personal records in order to contact parties mentioned in your documents and other information. This information is then compiled into the documents. The will is customized according to state laws as are the durable power of attorney, the living will, and the document for final arrangements. The later three have some checkbox options in the final documents. Professional wills have a similar appearance. The interview questions and worksheet are easily modified to add or remove information. As soon as you complete the interview and worksheet, you can view the documents. There are specific instructions for validation included in the printout.

I recommend Willmaker to anyone needing a simple will or unable to afford the cost of a lawyer for will preparation. Anyone with children, significant assets, or property should have a will to direct the disposal in the event of their untimely death.

Recommended: Yes