Joan was a savvy real estate investor who decided to draft her own DIY Will. In it, she left her rental properties to her sister, Jill—but if Jill passed away first, the properties would go to their brother, John.
However, life took an unexpected turn. Jill passed away before Joan and left her even more rental properties. Joan never updated her Will, which had been very specific about the properties she owned at the time it was written. Unfortunately, it lacked language to account for any properties she acquired later.
After Joan’s passing, a legal battle ensued. Her long-lost nieces argued in court that the additional, unaccounted-for properties should be treated as if Joan had died without a Will. The court agreed, and as a result, the nieces inherited interests in those properties—despite Joan’s original intentions.
Is this what Joan wanted? We’ll never know.
Many people avoid hiring an estate planning attorney because they see it as an unnecessary expense. But in the long run, proper planning is far more cost-effective. Instead of Joan’s assets being smoothly distributed to her chosen heirs, her estate was tied up in legal battles for years, incurring significant costs along the way.
Don't make the same mistake. DIY estate planning may seem like a way to save money, but the risks far outweigh the benefits. When it comes to your legacy, professional guidance isn’t just valuable—it’s essential.
To book a Life & Legacy Planning session, please do so here.
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