{"id":35,"date":"2015-02-04T20:02:49","date_gmt":"2015-02-04T20:02:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/amerilawyer.wordpress.com\/?p=35"},"modified":"2026-08-10T18:05:11","modified_gmt":"2026-08-10T22:05:11","slug":"things-to-know-preparing-a-will","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.amerilawyer.com\/blog\/estate-planning\/things-you-need-to-know-when-preparing-a-will-amerilawyer","title":{"rendered":"Things You Need To Know When Preparing A Will"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<!-- ============================================\n     SEO META (paste into Yoast \/ RankMath, then delete this block)\n\n     TITLE TAG:\n     Things to Know Before Preparing a Will Yourself\n\n     META DESCRIPTION:\n     A DIY will can save a few dollars and cost your family far more. Here\n     is what to know before drafting your own will, and the mistakes that\n     leave families in court.\n\n     FOCUS KEYPHRASE: preparing a will\n     KEYPHRASE SYNONYMS: DIY will, drafting your own will, estate planning documents, making a will\n\n     SUGGESTED SLUG: things-to-know-preparing-a-will\n\n     CATEGORY: Estate Planning  |  SECONDARY: Business\n\n     PAGE TITLE (WordPress title field):\n     Things You Need to Know When Preparing a Will\n\n     FEATURED IMAGE ALT:\n     Person reviewing estate planning documents while preparing a will\n\n     NOTE: .al-btn is defined below. If your theme already loads it\n     globally, delete that one rule so the site version wins.\n     ============================================ -->\n\n<style>\n.al-btn {\n  display:inline-block;background:#1F479C;color:#fff !important;font-family:sans-serif;font-size:13px;font-weight:600;text-transform:uppercase;letter-spacing:0.66px;text-decoration:none;padding:14px 32px;border-radius:4px;transition:background 0.2s;\n}\n.al-btn:hover, .al-btn:visited, .al-btn:focus, .al-btn:active { background:#E94235;color:#fff !important;text-decoration:none; }\n\n.al-body {\n  color:#334155;font-size:15px;font-family:sans-serif;line-height:1.9;\n}\n.al-body a { color:#1F479C;font-weight:600;text-decoration:none; }\n.al-body a:hover { color:#E94235;text-decoration:underline; }\n\nh2.al-h2 {\n  color:#1F479C !important;font-size:26px !important;font-family:sans-serif;font-weight:700 !important;margin:60px 0 16px;line-height:1.35;\n}\n.al-h3 {\n  color:#000;font-size:22px;font-family:sans-serif;font-weight:700;margin:32px 0 12px;\n}\n\n.al-back-link {\n  display:inline-block;color:#1F479C;font-size:12px;font-family:sans-serif;text-decoration:none;text-transform:uppercase;letter-spacing:0.66px;margin-bottom:12px;\n}\n.al-back-link:hover { color:#E94235; }\n\n.al-intro-box {\n  background:#F5F7FF;border-left:4px solid #1F479C;padding:24px 28px;border-radius:0 6px 6px 0;margin-bottom:32px;\n}\n.al-intro-box p { color:#334155;font-size:15px;font-family:sans-serif;line-height:1.9;margin:0 0 12px; }\n.al-intro-box p:last-child { margin:0; }\n.al-intro-box a { color:#1F479C;font-weight:600;text-decoration:none; }\n.al-intro-box a:hover { color:#E94235;text-decoration:underline; }\n\n.al-pullquote {\n  border-left:4px solid #E94235;padding:8px 0 8px 24px;margin:32px 0;color:#1F479C;font-family:sans-serif;font-size:22px;font-weight:700;line-height:1.4;font-style:italic;\n}\n\n.al-list {\n  color:#334155;font-size:15px;font-family:sans-serif;line-height:2;padding-left:20px;\n}\n.al-list li { margin-bottom:8px; }\n\n.al-disclaimer {\n  color:#64748B;font-size:13px;font-family:sans-serif;line-height:1.8;font-style:italic;border-top:1px solid #E2E8F0;padding-top:20px;margin-top:48px;\n}\n<\/style>\n\n<a name=\"backtotop\"><\/a>\n\n<p class=\"al-body\">Do-It-Yourself <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amerilawyer.com\/livingtrusts\/index.htm\">estate planning<\/a> seems great at first, because why pay a professional for a job you could do yourself? You open the computer, and a few clicks later you have a will for what seems like a deal. However, when it comes to your estate planning, do you really want to risk it to save a few dollars, only to leave your family entangled in court costs and litigation? Creating a will online creates risks in an area that will have lasting consequences. Mistakes in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amerilawyer.com\/livingtrusts\/index.htm\">will<\/a> can alter family relationships and leave loved ones confused, disappointed, embittered, or locked in hostile litigation.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"al-pullquote\">Creating a will online creates risks in an area that will have lasting consequences.<\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"al-h2\">What to Consider Before You DIY<\/h2>\n<p class=\"al-body\">Before delving into the DIY project, there is a lot to think through:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"al-list\">\n  <li>Who will be the guardian of your child, and is that person capable?<\/li>\n  <li>Will you provide for a special needs child?<\/li>\n  <li>What about divorce, marriage, death, or the incapacity of a beneficiary or yourself?<\/li>\n  <li>Are your property and accounts held separately, jointly, or in different states?<\/li>\n  <li>Who will be in charge of your estate?<\/li>\n  <li>What about tax-savings strategies?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<h2 class=\"al-h2\">Was Your Will Properly Executed?<\/h2>\n<p class=\"al-body\">Say you made your own will. Was it properly executed? Did you use dispositive (&#8220;I convey&#8221;) or precatory (&#8220;I would like&#8221;) language? Is your intent clear? These answers matter, because if the answer is no, then the will is void, and now your family is left without a will.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"al-pullquote\">If the answer is no, then the will is void, and now your family is left without a will.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"al-body\">There are many things to evaluate before drafting your own estate planning documents, and some of them may be best left to the professionals. Different states have different rules for all of the issues above, and the person drafting the documents should know those rules.<\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"al-h2\">Get Answers to Your Estate Planning Questions<\/h2>\n<div class=\"al-intro-box\">\n  <p>Who will be in charge of your estate? Was your will properly executed? Call <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amerilawyer.com\/index.htm\">Amerilawyer<\/a> today at <a href=\"tel:1-800-603-3900\">(800) 603-3900<\/a> for answers to your estate planning questions.<\/p>\n  <p>At Amerilawyer, our goal is to give every client as much information as possible about asset protection, trusts, and wills. We are available to talk through any legal aspect of asset protection, trusts, and wills at your convenience, either over the phone or in person at the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amerilawyer.com\/index.htm\">Spiegel &amp; Utrera, P.A.<\/a> office nearest you.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n<p style=\"text-align:center;padding:20px 0 10px;\">\n  <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amerilawyer.com\/livingtrusts\/index.htm\" class=\"al-btn\">Start Your Estate Plan<\/a>\n<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align:center;padding:0 0 30px;\">\n  <a href=\"tel:1-800-603-3900\" class=\"al-btn\">Call (800) 603-3900<\/a>\n<\/p>\n\n<p style=\"text-align:center;\"><a href=\"#backtotop\" class=\"al-back-link\">&#8593; Back to Top<\/a><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"al-disclaimer\">This article is provided for general information only and is not legal advice, and reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. Will and estate planning requirements vary by state. Contact Spiegel &amp; Utrera, P.A. for guidance on your specific situation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":null,"protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":25678,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_amerilawyer_reviewed_by":0,"_amerilawyer_reviewed_on":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,6,8],"tags":[9,10,11,18,24,26,42,48],"class_list":["post-35","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-estate-planning","category-legal-services","category-will","tag-amerilawyer","tag-asset-protection","tag-attorney","tag-estate-planning","tag-lawyer","tag-legal-services","tag-things-to-know","tag-will"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.8 (Yoast SEO v27.8) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Things You Need To Know When Preparing A Will<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"There are many things to evaluate before drafting your own Estate Planning documents that perhaps may be best left to the professionals.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.amerilawyer.com\/blog\/estate-planning\/things-you-need-to-know-when-preparing-a-will-amerilawyer\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Things You Need To Know When Preparing A Will\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"There are many things to evaluate before drafting your own Estate Planning documents that perhaps may be best left to the professionals.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.amerilawyer.com\/blog\/estate-planning\/things-you-need-to-know-when-preparing-a-will-amerilawyer\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Amerilawyer - Incorporate, Trademark &amp; 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