Welcome and Registration To begin creating your Online Will, please provide your full legal name exactly as it appears on official government-issued identification, such as your Social Security card or passport. Be sure to include your middle name or initial if it's listed on those documents.
Welcome Pre-Screener It is our belief that everyone should have an estate plan. However, estate plans are not “one size fits all”. This Online Estate Planning experience is only for very basic (i.e. a married person who wants to leave all their assets to their spouse then children or a single person who wants to leave all their assets to their children). This pre-screener will help you to know if this is right for you.
Your Contact Details Your full legal name is required for your estate planning documents. This would be the name you are referred to on your driver’s license, social security card, passport or other federal government ID. Do not forget to add your full middle name if you have one. If your driver’s license, social security card, passport, or other forms of identification do not match, use the full name indicated on your driver’s license and list the other names in the “also known as” field.
Contact You Our office would like to discuss an Estate Plan option specifically for your needs. One of our qualified attorneys will be happy to assist in determining a plan just for you. We will contact you as soon as possible with the information you have provided.
Your Spouse Information Please use your legal name as it appears on your license or government-issue ID
Children and Beneficiaries If you have children, you will be provided with the option to establish a testamentary trust for their benefit. A testamentary trust is a trust created after your passing. The trust is held for the benefit of your children until they reach a certain age. This allows for a trustee to manage a child’s inheritance until they reach a mature age.
Children When answering these questions, please answer the questions based on all your children including any stepchildren. By setting up a trust for your child(ren), you will be able to appoint a trustee to manage your children’s inheritance. Your trustee will be responsible for investing, handling, and providing distributions to your child(ren) as they see fit. Once your child reaches an age that you predetermine, your child will then have full access to their inheritance. If you do not choose to set up a trust for your child, their inheritance will go to them outright, meaning they have full access and control once they reach the age that you predetermine, up to age 25.
Beneficiary Information In deciding who and how to leave your assets, please remember that we have assumed if you are married that you will leave 100% of your assets to your spouse. This division of property will only happen upon the second spouse to pass. A beneficiary may be an individual(s) or a charity. If you are not leaving your estate to your spouse first and then to your children equally, please list your desired beneficiaries and note the percentage each will receive.
Children Information Please provide the full legal name, date of birth, and parental status for each child and step-child. Please remember, if you are married, this estate planning tool will leave your estate to your spouse. This division of property will only happen if your spouse predeceases you. Your Last Will and Testament will distribute assets in your estate at the time of your death. Any assets that have named beneficiaries will follow those instructions rather than your Last Will and Testament. It is important to consider both types of assets when deciding how your estate will be divided. If you do not intend to leave everything to your spouse first and then your children, you will need additional planning beyond the scope of this online estate planning tool, and we recommend you call our office at 972-284-0585 for a free Needs Assessment call.
Permanent Guardians for Your Minor Children In your Last Will and Testament, it is important to designate a Guardian for your minor child or children. A Guardian is a person who is responsible for the day to day needs of a minor child and who steps into your role of being the parent if you are no longer living or unable to care for your child. CAUTION: The surviving biological parent is typically favored by the courts to be named as guardian. If you choose to name someone other than the surviving biological parent as the first guardian the legal system may still grant custody to the surviving biological parent unless the surviving biological parent has been legally deemed unfit to serve as parent/guardian. If you choose to have your Guardians serve jointly, your Guardians will have to make decisions together by majority decision. In choosing whether your Guardians should serve jointly, you should consider whether your Guardians would be able to get along and make decisions together Previous
Spouse - Beneficiary Information In deciding who and how to leave your assets, please remember that we have assumed if you are married that you will leave 100% of your assets to your spouse. This division of property will only happen upon the second spouse to pass. A beneficiary may be an individual(s) or a charity. If you are not leaving your estate to your spouse first and then to your children equally, please list your desired beneficiaries and note the percentage each will receive.
Children’s Trust A Trustee is the person who manages the assets held in trust for your child(ren). This trust will be in effect for your child(ren) immediately upon signing and can be used to hold funds for their benefit during your lifetime. You can name a successor trustee should you and your spouse, if applicable, be unable to serve. If you choose to have your Trustees serve jointly, your Trustees will have to make decisions together by majority decision. In choosing whether your Trustees should serve jointly, you should consider whether your Trustees would be able to get along and make decisions together.
Children’s Trust-Spouse/Life Partner A Trustee is the person who manages the assets held in trust for your child(ren). This trust will be in effect for your child(ren) immediately upon signing and can be used to hold funds for their benefit during your lifetime. You can name a successor trustee should you and your spouse, if applicable, be unable to serve. If you choose to have your Trustees serve jointly, your Trustees will have to make decisions together by majority decision. In choosing whether your Trustees should serve jointly, you should consider whether your Trustees would be able to get along and make decisions together.
Executor After your death, your Executor (will-based plan) or Successor Trustee (trust-based plan) is responsible for determining and obtaining obtaining access to the your assets, making sure that any expenses and taxes are paid, and then making distributions of remaining assets to your beneficiary’s according to the terms set forth in your plan. This is a financial and managerial role. Therefore, consider naming someone who you believe is good with finances or who would be willing to get professional help to guide them so that they can make prudent and reasonable decisions. If you are considering naming multiple parties to serve togeher jointly, you should consider whether your agents would be able to get along and make decisions together.
Spouse/Partner - Executor After your death, your Executor (will-based plan) or Successor Trustee (trust-based plan) is responsible for determining and obtaining obtaining access to the your assets, making sure that any expenses and taxes are paid, and then making distributions of remaining assets to your beneficiary’s according to the terms set forth in your plan. This is a financial and managerial role. Therefore, consider naming someone who you believe is good with finances or who would be willing to get professional help to guide them so that they can make prudent and reasonable decisions. If you are considering naming multiple parties to serve togeher jointly, you should consider whether your agents would be able to get along and make decisions together. Previous
Financial Power of Attorney Your Financial Agent is the person you name to step into your shoes to handle your financial matters for you and has legal authority to carry out the powers authorized in your documents without the need of court involvement. As this is a financial role, when picking your Financial Agent, your analysis should be very similar to how you chose who should handle your Executors (e.g., Executor or Successor Trustee). Thus, it’s common to have the same person serving in both roles. If you choose to have your agents serve jointly, your agents will have to make decisions together by majority decision. In choosing whether your agents should serve jointly, you should consider whether your agents would be able to get along and make decisions together. If you don’t have your agents serve jointly, they will be able to serve individually, with each having the power to act individually or jointly. If you have further questions or need help deciding who should serve as your agent, your attorney can discuss this with you further at your next meeting.
Spouse/Partner – Financial Power of Attorney Your Financial Agent is the person you name to step into your shoes to handle your financial matters for you and has legal authority to carry out the powers authorized in your documents without the need of court involvement. As this is a financial role, when picking your Financial Agent, your analysis should be very similar to how you chose who should handle your Executors (e.g., Executor or Successor Trustee). Thus, it’s common to have the same person serving in both roles. If you choose to have your agents serve jointly, your agents will have to make decisions together by majority decision. In choosing whether your agents should serve jointly, you should consider whether your agents would be able to get along and make decisions together. If you don’t have your agents serve jointly, they will be able to serve individually, with each having the power to act individually or jointly. If you have further questions or need help deciding who should serve as your agent, your attorney can discuss this with you further at your next meeting. Previous
Medical Power of Attorney Your Medical Power of Attorney Agent will make health care, caregiving, and medical decisions for you if you are incapacitated or otherwise unable to do so yourself. When picking a Medical Power of Attorney Agent, pick someone who would be comfortable serving in this role. Also, consider whether that person would have similar ideas as you regarding medical care. We generally recommend having only one agent serve at a time in this role. If you choose to have multiple Medical Power of Attorney Agents serve jointly, your Medical Power of Attorney Agents will have to make decisions together by majority decision which could lead to delays or family disputes. In choosing whether your Medical Power of Attorney Agents should serve jointly, you should consider whether your Medical Power of Attorney Agents would be able to get along and make decisions together that are consistent with your beliefs. If you don’t have your agents serve jointly, they will be able to serve individually, with each having the power to act individually or jointly under your medical power of attorney document. If you have further questions or need help deciding who should serve as your agent, your attorney can discuss this with you further at your next meeting.
Spouse/Partner – Medical Power of Attorney Your Medical Power of Attorney Agent will make health care, caregiving, and medical decisions for you if you are incapacitated or otherwise unable to do so yourself. When picking a Medical Power Attorney Agent, pick someone who would be comfortable serving in this role. Also, consider whether that person would have similar ideas as you regarding medical care. We generally recommend having only one agent serve at a time in this role. If you choose to have multiple Medical Power of Attorney Agents serve jointly, your Medical Power of Attorney Agents will have to make decisions together by majority decision which could lead to delays or family disputes. In choosing whether your Medical Power of Attorney Agents should serve jointly, you should consider whether your Medical Power of Attorney Agents would be able to get along and make decisions together that are consistent with your beliefs. If you don’t have your agents serve jointly, they will be able to serve individually, with each having the power to act individually or jointly under your medical power of attorney document. If you have further questions or need help deciding who should serve as your agent, your attorney can discuss this with you further at your next meeting.
Living Will A Living Will is a general declaration regarding your end-of-life wishes if you are unable to communicate them yourself. It provides written declaration to your agent that you would not want any extraordinary measures or procedures to prolong your life unnecessarily if a physician indicates that you suffer from a terminal condition or a state of permanent unconsciousness, such as a permanent coma or persistent vegetative state, and there is no realistic hope of significant recovery. If you choose to have multiple Living Will Agents serve jointly, your Living Will Agents will have to make decisions together by majority decision. In choosing whether your Living Will Agents should serve jointly, you should consider whether your Living Will Agents would be able to get along and make decisions together that are consistent with your beliefs. If you don’t have your agents serve jointly, they will be able to serve individually, with each having the power to act individually or jointly under your Living Will document.
Signing Your Documents Some state laws require that certain parts of your health care documents be notarized and witnessed by two disinterested individuals. This means that the notary and two witnesses must not be an agent or beneficiary in your documents. If the documents are not signed properly, there is a risk that they will not be legally valid documents. To best assist you in making sure your documents are signed properly, we have designed two options that you can choose from to have your documents executed: You may choose to come to our office location where our team will have all your documents printed and ready for your signatures. We provide the notary and two witnesses. All you have to do is schedule a time and come visit! You may also choose to sign your estate planning documents virtually/remotely. If your state allows it, we will coordinate with you a date with our online notary to execute your documents right from your residence. You will need a computer with a camera and microphone for this option. Generally this is a $75 charge for this option additionally. This will still create a legally binding document. In order to use this option, you may be required to have 2 witnesses with you who are not named in the will. The last option is the cost of drafting valid estate planning documents. You will be able to confirm that the questionnaire was correctly completed and our office will confirm your choices with you. After a legal review of your documents and payment, we will then send you the documents to be able to be printed and executed by you.