Digital will Maker services have become very popular very fast. This shouldn’t be a surprise considering the pandemic crisis we currently live in. Having a will, regardless of your age, has always been important according to experts. At the moment, the importance of this document has grown further. The launch of multiple online will maker services helps the situation greatly as they make estate planning much easier.

Who Needs a Digital Will?

Everyone who needs a will and has a simple estate can benefit from using a digital will maker. This will be a 100% legitimate and much more affordable alternative to drawing up a will with an attorney.

Lawyer’s services can cost you anywhere between $300 and $1,000. The more complex your estate is, the higher the cost.

However, according to US laws, your will doesn’t have to be made by an attorney to be legal. In fact, any written note can be considered a legit last will and testament if it complies with your state law requirements. This means that you can make a will at no cost at all.

That said, a document like this can be easily argued in court. Therefore, you can’t be completely sure that your wishes will be carried out after you pass on. There is also a matter of probate, which can make it difficult for your next of kin to get their inheritance.

Using an online will maker is a compromise between hiring a lawyer and doing all the work on your own. These platforms allow you to access multiple forms for the last will and testament, living trust, and other important papers for estate planning. The cost of a digital will varies, but usually it’s a very affordable subscription service.

Digital will templates are created by experienced attorneys. However, they are rather basic and generalized. That’s why the majority of the population can fill out online forms and download the templates to sign. This is how the platform works to enable anyone to draw up a legal will for cheap and with minimal hassle.

Online Will Makers: Pros and Cons

Digital will makers are convenient and affordable. But they are also quite limited and might not work for everyone. Therefore, it’s important to understand both pros and cons of these services if you plan on using them.

The main advantages of using an online will maker platform are:

• You can get a legal document drawn up by an attorney for a fraction of a cost.
  Reliable digital will maker services will have several attorneys in their employ. Not only do these professionals draw up will templates. They also keep them updated for any changes in estate planning and inheritance laws. Depending on the online will maker package you purchase, your documents might be updated automatically. This will ensure that they remain 100% legit at all times.
• Setting up a digital will requires very little time as opposed to creating one through a lawyer. This process usually takes about half an hour. However, if your estate is simple and small, you might be done in less.
• You can be confident that your last will and testament are worded exactly right to ensure your wishes are followed.
• You get some measure of protection from forgeries. Unfortunately, forging a will isn’t rare, but with this service you can protect the original better.

But do not forget that there are also some cons to using online will makers:

• Your personal credibility can be argued. A digital will doesn’t require any proof that you were of a sound mind when using the platform. This can be used as one of the grounds to argue your last will and testament in court. That’s why it’s imperative to choose a will maker that is accredited and has safeguards against that.
• Any digital will is inflexible and straightforward. This is because in order to fit multiple people, the forms must be very basic. Usually, you won’t be able to make many provisions and alterations to the basic template. Therefore, this type of service can only be used by people who have a simple estate.

You also need to consider the fact that online will maker platforms are versatile. This industry is rather new and businesses need to be innovative to compete in the small field. Each company has a unique approach to this. Some try to attract more customers by cutting prices and others offer additional services, like Pet Custody forms.

Be sure to find out the full list of services offered by the platform before choosing one. You also need to look into who draws up the documents for the company and how they keep everything updated.

Bottom Line: Are Digital Wil Maker Services Here to Stay?

Online will maker platforms might be a recent innovation and their rise to popularity is influenced by the pandemic. However, there can be no arguing the fact that they are here to stay. The latest crisis increased the awareness of how important early estate planning is. Tragically, an extremely high number of deaths among the young population was a major factor in this.

Digital wills are easily accessible to everyone now and they are affordable as well as very easy to personalize. This convenience and low cost are the main reasons why this service will not be discarded to oblivion even after the pandemic.

In fact, as online will makers grow more sophisticated, they will pose more of a competition for lawyers.