It’s easy to put off the process of estate planning because you might assume that it’s not relevant for you, or that it’s too complicated to make the effort worth it. Many people turn to things, such as a handwritten will or a fill in the blank form will. California does accept handwritten wills, but it’s important to be careful when relying on this for your own estate planning.
While these are free or affordable, and relatively simple to put together, there are definite downsides associated with handwritten or fill in the blank wills. First of all, you probably have specific wishes about what you want to achieve with your estate planning process.
Any mistakes that fail to comply with state laws mean that your will could be named invalid by the court. At this point in time, intestate succession laws will apply, meaning that the state has the right to determine what happens to the assets inside your estate. With handwritten wills these are not valid in all states, are not recommended by most experts, make it much easier to make a mistake, and fail to follow proper legal procedures, and are not easily customizable.
Instead, it is recommended that you work directly with an experienced estate planning attorney. In your initial meeting, you can discuss the intentions and goals of your estate planning strategy, at which point your estate planning lawyer can recommend specific documents and tools for planning purposes.
Meet with our Pasadena estate planning law firm to discuss your questions around creating a will. Working with a lawyer is a good way to ensure your interests and goals have been captured properly. You’ll get peace of mind in knowing that your lawyer has followed all relevant laws for California, too.
