I have really got to get our wills done and I've been putting it off. From the research I've done, it's so expensive. Does any one have any ideas on how to get one done inexpensively or any referrals to attorneys in the area that may be reasonable? I've got to get this done! Thanks!
I have a great attorney, his name is Gary Pullin. His number is ###-###-####. He does wills and family law. He is a very nice person and very knowledgeable. His office is located in Frisco. I think you will be very happy with him.
I did ours online for free and just had to get it notarized - also for free at the library....
http://www.doyourownwill.com/
Why not go online and down-load a boiler-plate (is that the right word?) general will and fill it out and just get someone to notorize it? DIdn't Suzie Orman have one for sale on her web-site? I would think it would come with all the instructions about what to do. I think it was $39 or 35 or someting like that. It would sort of depend on what you have to pass on and whether your family is a cantankerous bunch who would challenge it just to be a problem. I bought a book on wills and trusts at Amazon and it was interesting reading. Or try the library for research on Texas law as regards wills. Having just lost my mother I can tell you it's not the front end part that's costly. It's the back end part!
I have seen at Office Depot or Office Max a will kit.
Anything that is written in your handwriting is considered a legal will. So, if you were to write or type one up and sign it and have witnesses that you signed it, then it's legal. I heard of a guy who was pinned under a tractor and was dying. Before he died, he wrote in the dirt with his finger that his wife gets everything. It was considered legal because he had written it himself. So there's really no need, I guess, for you to pay anything really or go to a lawyer and have one drawn up. As long as YOU sign it, it's legal. It doesn't hurt, though, to have someone witness you signing it.
We did our will with the Suzie Orman program, had it notarized at the bank, and gave a copy the the guardians of our children and the executor of the financials so that both parties would know and have what they needed in the event something horrible happened to us. We have two people so that the aunt getting the children has the money not so easily accessible from family that may just pop up from no where....but the two in these rolls understand what all the funds are for, our dreams for our children, and that they are to be partners in this. Hopefully we never have to use this but if we do, we know it is the best solution considering our options.
Be very careful of doing it yourself, wills are very intricate, I speak from sad experience. Send me a private email and I will tell you about an identify theft & prepaid legal service I work with that among other benefits will do a free will for you - done by a top law firm. Don't want to say the name and get reported even though I see people doing it all the time.
We used LegalZoom.com and it was VERY helpful. =)
