Do you have a legal last will and testament? If not, you should have one written as soon as possible. Even if you have little money or other assets, if you have minor children, you will want to designate who will be their guardian rather than leaving it up to your state. Julie and I have been trying to get our will written for over five years and finally got it done this year. We had been waiting until we felt like we could afford an attorney. We finally decided to purchase a will writing computer program and at least get a witnessed will, even if it might not be as good as one written by a lawyer. I must say that if you can afford a lawyer, you should get one rather than a program. Having said that, I want to tell you about Nolo Will Maker 7.

My father has a version of the legal program that is packaged with Quicken Deluxe. The Quicken Lawyer seems to give you more control over the specifics of your will than Will Maker, but Will Maker is much easier to understand and use. One of the exciting things about Will Maker is that it handles all related documents – not just wills. With Will Maker, you can also write a living will, a power of attorney, and make your final arrangements. For each of the documents, Will Maker takes you through a simple interview process. At each step of the interview the possible choices are briefly explained and a link is provided for more detailed information on the choices. Will Maker also actually comes with a printed reference manual.

Creating a Will
Will Maker is considered valid in all of the 50 states except for Louisiana. However, in Texas they agreed in a legal settlement with the legal industry to print a message warning you that you should seek legal counsel. The courts did rule that Texas wills produced with Will Maker are valid. Wills produced using Will Maker cannot include complicated conditional designations of property. The primary purpose of a program such as this is to provide a simple, cheap way to write a simple will. You can provide for charities and family and friends. Of course, you can name your executor and a guardian of your minor children. Detailed instructions are also printed to make the will valid in your state (number of witnesses, etc.).

Creating a Living Will and Power of Attorney
You can also create a living will to outline exactly how you would like to be treated medically. You can specify the type of care you would like to have administered or withheld. You can also appoint someone to oversee your wishes. You can name someone to make financial decisions in the event that you cannot make such decisions.

Final Arrangements
You can also create a document outlining to whatever detail you would like your final arrangements. Planning your final arrangements will save your family stress and money when you die. You can make you wishes known concerning burial or cremation and the types of ceremonies (if any) you would like. The arrangements can be as general or specific as you would like.

Conclusion
I was very pleased with the usability of Will Maker. I cannot speak for the acceptance of the documents in court and therefore would seek legal counsel if possible. If legal counsel is not possible for you, Will Maker is much better than not having a will. The program runs on Windows as well as the Macintosh. The retail price of the program is $69.95, but I paid $29.99 at Amazon.com.




Recommended: Yes