A recent Forbes article highlights three recent cases where do-it-yourself Legal planning and failure to follow through on the details resulted in unintended postmortem consequences:

[L]egal mistakes made during a lifetime can create a mess at death... I think it’s important for people to understand the consequences of inattention to legal matters and of not involving an attorney. “Penny wise and pound foolish” can be a particularly compelling adage when dealing with legal matters.