In today’s fast-paced world, most people want to do things as quickly and easily as possible. For some, being able to do things at night or without having to wait for an office to open is ideal. This may mean turning to online tools to get an estate plan taken care of, even though that’s not a suitable option for most people.
While relying solely on online tools to create your estate plan isn’t a good idea, technology can facilitate sound estate planning strategies, under certain circumstances. Understanding technology’s place in this area of law may be beneficial to those who are creating an estate plan or who are looking to update existing documents.
Benefits and limitations of using technology while estate planning
One of the most effective ways to use technology to help you develop your estate plan is to gather information about all of your assets. Technology makes it easy to create detailed files that include all the applicable information for every asset you own. You can include clickable links to online accounts for some of your assets. You can also use technology to communicate with your heirs, which can be helpful if they don’t live near you. Electronic communication about estate-related matters can also provide an instantaneous written account of what’s discussed.
Online tools can also help you to start learning about the estate planning process and what different tools are suitable. The issue here is that the information you find online might not be up to date, which could mean you won’t set things up correctly if you rely only on online information to determine how to get your heirs what you want them to have. Everyone, not just people with complex estates, should strongly consider discussing their estate planning needs with a legal professional who can help to ensure that all documentation is legally-sound, enforceable and meets an individual’s needs.
Ultimately, no online tools can replace having a legal professional help you to determine how to set up your estate plan. Working with someone knowledgeable about applicable estate planning laws, including the most current updates, can help to ensure that your loved ones get what you intend from your estate after you pass away.