Web MD vs. A Doctor
Web MD and doctors? What does that have to do with estate planning? Interestingly enough, there are a lot of similarities between how folks treat their medical conditions and how they treat their estate planning. Unfortunately, most people do the best thing when it comes to medicine, but less and less people do the best thing for their estate planning. Keep reading to find out the similarities.
Have you ever been sick and wondered exactly what is wrong with you? I’m not talking about a simple cough or some sneezing. I’m talking about getting really sick to your stomach or some weird rash that is abnormal. What is the first thing most people do? For me, I look on Web MD to see what I may have.
Web MD is great! You can plug in some symptoms and it will spit out several different illnesses you may have (almost always including cancer for some reason). The problem, however, is you are usually left wondering what exact illness you have. This is because Web MD, even though it is a wonderful informational resource, cannot be used in place of a human doctor.
A real doctor does more than just look at your symptoms and give you five possible options for what you could have. Instead, the doctor will figure out exactly what you have and will tell you exactly how to treat it. The doctor does this by taking into consideration not only your current symptoms, but your health history as well. At the end of the day, you are much better off seeing a doctor than just consulting Web MD.
Estate planning attorneys are professionals. We are trained to identify your specific estate planning needs and provide exactly what you need. Blogs and planning tools do not allow you to create a plan to secure your family’s future that is unique to you; it’s one size fits all! Just like you should see a doctor if you are sick, you should see an estate planning attorney when you are ready to create your estate plan.
“But I have small estate and my wishes are simple. Can’t I just use an estate planning tool kit to write my wills and powers of attorney?” You can, but you will likely not be able to achieve your wishes in a way that costs your loved ones as little time, stress, and money as possible.
You do not want to be like one client I have whose parents had a relatively simple estate. Unfortunately, because they did not have a quality plan in place, my client has had to spend nearly a year dealing with the court, banks, and investment companies. Furthermore, the poor planning has cost their loved ones more than $15,000! Unfortunately, this is a very common outcome for folks who attempted to do their estate planning on their own.
That is not something you want your loved ones to deal with, is it? Taking the time to seek out a professional for help is much better for everyone in the long run.
Creating your estate plan with an estate planning attorney is easier and more affordable than you think. If you want to find out more about how an attorney can help create a plan for your unique situation, schedule an informational meeting at https://calendly.com/zachary-58/estate-planning-informational-meeting. Your family will thank you for seeing a professional!