Blog

Part 3: DIY Estate Plans vs. Working with a Licensed California Attorney: Why “Good Enough” Simply Isn’t When It Comes to Your Estate Plan.

Let’s be honest: California living is expensive. And estate planning is no exception. So it makes sense that people would think, “can’t I just do this myself?” You’ve done so many things without the help of a professional and it’s worked out just fine… what could go wrong here? Just watch some YouTube videos about the common pitfalls of DIY estate planning and you should be just fine, right?

So, Why Not DIY Your Estate Plan?

You can find templates online, check some boxes, get some stuff notarized… no big deal, right? But estate planning isn’t just about checking boxes and signing forms, it’s about strategy and details. And the small mistakes that get overlooked now end up magnified into glaring errors at the worst possible time… when you’re long gone and your loved ones are stuck in probate court.

The problem isn’t that DIY tools are bad. It’s that they don’t know you. They don’t know your family dynamics, the value of your home, your blended family, or the ways in which California laws are unique and ever-changing. DIY estate plans are meant to be one-size-fits-all, which sounds convenient until you realize that families are not one size and never all the same.

Here are just some of the problems that arise when DIY estate plans fail:

• Failure to fund the trust (it’s empty!);
• Incorrect and missing signatures;
• Accounts are titled incorrectly;
• Beneficiary designations contradict each other;
• No California-specific language;
• No plan for incapacity;
• Life changed but your plan didn’t.

I could go on and on. Clients don’t come to me because something went wrong with the template… they come to me because something went wrong in real life and the template wasn’t built to handle it.

What Your Attorney Actually Does (That Templates Can’t).

When you work with a licensed California estate planning attorney, you’re not just getting documents. You’re getting a guide, a strategist, and someone whose sole job is to make sure your plan works for you. In real life. Here’s what that looks like:

• We help you avoid probate – for real – by making sure assets are titled correctly.
• We help you navigate family dynamics with grace – from blended families to estranged kids to co-owned property, we’ve seen it all!
• We assess whether you need special planning like disclaimer or bypass trusts – software can’t help you predict what you’ll need in the future!
• We help bring clarity where decision makers see conflict – we help define clear roles, boundaries and instructions for you now so there are fewer arguments later.
• We update your plan as life changes – your DIY template isn’t going to call and make an appointment when you buy that duplex!
• We make sure your estate plan is legally sound according to California-specific laws – “it’s probably gonna work” just doesn’t cut it in probate court.

The Cost of DIY vs. The Cost of Mistakes:

People often compare the cost of an attorney to the cost of a software package. That math doesn’t add up. The real comparison is between the cost of certainty now vs. the cost of chaos later. There really is no comparison.

Probate in California can take years and cost thousands of dollars. It’s time and money your loved ones simply don’t have and definitely don’t want to waste. Fixing a poorly drafted plan will undoubtedly cost more than creating a solid one from scratch. And if something does go wrong while you’re incapacitated or after you’ve passed, the steepest price is often not money, it’s stress, conflict, and time you can’t unwind.

The Good News:

If you’ve made it to the end (you’re here!), you know that the first step is making the appointment and having a conversation. I’ll walk you through the process, explain what you need and what you don’t, and make sure your estate plan actually does what it’s supposed to do: protect the people you love.

Your life isn’t one-size-fits-all. Your estate plan shouldn’t be, either.

The information presented in this Article is not to be taken as legal advice. Every person’s situation is different. If you are facing a legal issue of any kind, get competent legal advice in your State immediately so that you can determine your best options.

  Back to Blog