It is no secret that millions of dollars are essentially thrown away each year as people momentarily demonstrate lapses in judgment and make purchases based on sales pitches that sound too good to be true. This is something to be very much aware of when you come into contact with websites and advertisements concerning do-it-yourself estate planning notions.
Technically you can state your final wishes in any number of ways. You can write out your will in your own handwriting and there are people who have done this; such a document is called a holographic will. There are also those who have stated their final wishes verbally, and these oral wills have actually been accepted in some jurisdictions under some circumstances.
Nobody is going to stop you if you try to use one of these shortcuts. However, there are no guarantees that the surrogate courts here in New Jersey will recognize these attempts as valid and binding.
Why take any chances with something as important as your final act of giving to those that you love the most? After all, it is your family members who would be left behind to sort through the mess if your ill advised DIY estate planning attempts did not hold up after you passed away.
Doing the right thing is as simple as making an appointment to speak with a good Central New Jersey estate planning lawyer. If you are currently unprepared, take the logical first step for the well-being of the people who are depending on you.
Alan Augulis, Estate Planning Attorney
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