It’s critical to compose a robust estate plan that steers you clear of probate and ensures that your final wishes are carried out smoothly.
US Legal Wills aims to deliver these matters of concern in every way possible.
In this US Legal Wills review, we will discuss at length how this online will service can help in a variety of circumstances, as well as where it falls short.
This way, you’ll know whether or not partnering with them is suitable for your specific situation.
US Legal Wills Review
US Legal Wills is a site that allows people to draft their own wills.
It has been providing a range of will-related services since the year 2000.
Their aim is to help their clients create everyday legal documents easily and efficiently.
The company prides itself on delivering these documents in a secure, convenient, and cost-effective manner that doesn’t require paying high-priced lawyer fees.
The website also provides you with an option to store information online. It also allows you to give access to vital information to selected individuals.
Who Is This Product For?
Anyone with straightforward needs regarding wills, expat wills, trusts, powers of attorney, and living wills will find this site incredibly beneficial.
If you’re unsure about your documents’ authenticity, you can have a lawyer who’s working with the company help you review them.
Having a legal expert check your wills and trusts for loopholes helps ensure they’re ironclad or, at the very least, as robust as they can get without paying for the high professional fees of an attorney.
If you’re any of the following, you stand to get the most out of partnering with US Legal Wills:
Expats
Most US Legal Wills reviews maintain that the company is one of the very few that offers wills that focus on expats.
Customers In Need of Tailored Services
As far as estate planning documents go, US Legal Wills provides a higher level of personalization.
It allows you to get into detail about various circumstances.
It even lets you create separate documents that supplement instructions in the will, such as a list containing all your personal property and its recipients.
Since documents are downloadable in Word format, additions or changes can easily be made.
Customization extends as far as being able to set up trusts in your will for minors or pets.
You can also store all kinds of important documents using the Life Locker service.
That includes notarized and witnessed documents, info on emergency contacts, deed copies, and other financial, personal, and legal files.
What’s Included?
As most US Legal Wills reviews online will tell you, the company has a wide range of products and services to choose from.
However, the benefits customers get will only be limited to what they subscribe to.
So, for instance, with the basic $39.95 plan, you can draft a detailed will and access free document storage on the company’s secure servers for a year.
You can also make as many updates as you want during that time.
For continued storage of documents with the company, you will need to pay yearly or opt for the $ 124.95-lifetime feature.
The latter is obviously the more economical choice if you plan on using the site’s secure storage feature for several years.
It also allows partners or spouses 40 percent off on mirror wills and other documents.
Basically, the website allows you to create legally-binding documents for free but charges an amount to have them printed or downloaded.
Other freebies include statements regarding funeral requests, uploading crucial documents and files, and composing messages to be delivered after the customer has passed on.
Overview of Features
US Legal Wills offers a diverse range of services at different price marks.
Still, you can count on them to be way below the cost of having a lawyer create the document.
Here some of their most popular services:
Wills
A little less than 40 bucks are all it takes to create a detailed will and temporarily gain access to the company’s secure online storage feature.
Paying for ongoing membership fees isn’t necessary, and your bank won’t be charged for membership renewal fees or other fees without your consent.
Trusts
Trusts and wills are commonly misunderstood to be synonymous, but they’re actually quite different.
With trusts, more requirements have to be met before assets are delivered to the heir.
This provides additional protection. Trusts also take effect as soon as they’re created, while a will remains inactive until the testator dies.
US Legal Wills doesn’t currently offer free-standing trusts. However, you can incorporate trusts in your will for children and pets.
Expat Wills
You can draft an expat will on the site if you have assets abroad. If you have estates in England, Canada, Wales, or the United States but live in another country, then this particular service could be of great use to you.
You can also take advantage of this product if there is a will addressing the assets in your home nation but require additional instructions regarding properties or assets in the above-mentioned countries.
Living Wills
For a one-time fee of a little under $20, you can have a document formatted based on your living will and power of attorney for healthcare.
Questions are written as plainly as possible, so you don’t have to be a legal expert to draft these directives.
Powers of Attorney
You can count on US Legal Wills to deliver when tragedy strikes and you’re no longer able to make sound decisions regarding your finances and other matters.
This particular service ensures that any wishes you may have concerning your assets in these dire circumstances are fulfilled per your specifications.
Life Locker
Life Locker allows you to store critical information for the person who will be carrying out the instructions of your will.
For less than $30, you get this great feature that allows you to nominate 20 key individuals who can access stored info.
Attorney Review
If you’re unsure about the content in any of your documents, you can have a lawyer working with the company to review them using this service.
It’ll cost you $69 per document review, but we say that’s more than worth it for your peace of mind.
All that, and we haven’t even covered additional features like the composition and delivery of final messages, continued storage, or free updates.
As great as all these features are, they can be a lot to take in and, thus, make the process confusing.
And although the company provides detailed wills and various other estate planning documents, it might not be able to meet your needs when it comes to:
- Revocable trusts for avoiding probate
- Creating estate documents with special-needs beneficiaries
- Drafting documents while undergoing life-lengthening treatments
Pros:
- Affordable will options
- Great add-on services
- Accommodates cost-effective expat wills
- Easy-to-navigate website
Cons:
- Options can be overwhelming and confusing
- Doesn’t produce living revocable trusts for avoiding probate
How to Use US Legal Wills
The company makes use of a wizard to help customers create estate planning documents. Let’s walk you through the steps.
Step 1: Create an Account
Creating a member account allows you to take advantage of storage features.
You just need to input your contact info, create your username and password, select a secret question, and choose the services you want to add.
Or, you can simply click on the “try it now” button on the specific product pages or the “start your will” button on the landing page.
Step 2: Choose Your Service
After selecting a product, you will be shown several options. Choose the “create or modify” option.
Step 3: Go Through the Steps
Go over the step-by-step list for the service you’ve chosen. This way, you won’t go off track or get confused by the process.
Step 4: Provide the Requested Info
Click on or fill out the requested information. The page also offers updated options like selecting beneficiary-appropriate pronouns and viewing methods for mixed families.
Step 5: Go Over the Hints and Questions
The sidebar on the page’s left side provides answers to frequently asked questions. Sifting through these helps ensure you don’t miss anything.
Step 6: Leave Tailored Directives
You can have a trust set up for a furry friend or provide specific directions on how you want the distribution of property to take place.
Step 7: Review Documents
You can view or download the documents in PDF or Word format and have them printed and sent to you by mail for an extra fee.
Step 8: Review Next Steps
The next steps involve learning how to legalize your documents.
Step 9: Create Other Documents.
Repeat steps one to eight for the next documents you prepare.
Step 10: Add Important Information
Crucial information for your family or executor should be added to the Life Locker.
Step 11: Upload Documents
Then, you should upload the documents to your Vault.
Step 12: Select Key Holders
Choose the individuals who you want to gain access to your documents and specify their level of accessibility.
Alternative
Unlike US Legal Wills, Nolo’s Quicken WillMaker & Trust gives you access to their complete range of estate planning document services for one low price.
Here are some of the many reasons you should choose them:
Comprehensive and Affordable Services
This online will maker gives you personal, financial, estate planning, family, and executor documents for an incredibly low price.
It may also surprise you that their products are incredibly robust, given their low cost.
Free Updates
Once you’ve partnered with the site, you get unlimited updates for free for an entire year.
Downloadable Software
If it makes you more comfortable, you can download the company’s software and complete documents at your own pace.
Mac and Windows Compatibility
Their software works for both Windows and Mac operating systems and is a breeze to use.
It lets you tailor legal documents using a relatively simple interview survey.
No Internet Connection Required
Unless you’re downloading or updating the software, there’s no need to connect to the internet.
FAQs About Wills
1. Are online wills legitimate?
For as long as the will complies with state and federal laws, then, yes, it is legitimate.
Online estate planning document providers make it a point to work with licensed lawyers and legal experts who can ensure that documents are appropriately worded and legally binding.
2. What should you never put in your will?
Specific provisions can’t be incorporated in your will because they are unenforceable under the law. Some of these include:
- Funeral Plans: Your body isn’t considered property, so it cannot belong to your estate.
- Joint Tenancy Provisions That Continue After Death: The survivor will automatically have sole ownership of the property in the event of your death.
- Illegal Requests: The law will not take kindly to those kinds of requests.
- Insurance and Retirement Funds: Those plans require a designated beneficiary, so there’s no need to include them in your will.
3. Can I make a will without a lawyer?
Yes, it is perfectly legal to draft a will without a lawyer.
In fact, given the high cost of having an attorney prepare these documents, creating a will yourself would be the more economical choice.
4. How much does it cost to have a will drawn up?
The average cost of having an attorney prepare your will is $1000. However, you can have an estate planning document drawn up for as low as $300 if it’s relatively straightforward.
What Is the Best Online Legal Service for Wills?
Although this US Legal Wills review does a stellar job of highlighting the company’s strong points, it also recognizes the areas it falls short.
This online will maker does an excellent job of providing expat wills, specific customization options, and attorney reviews.
That said, it can’t help people with special-needs beneficiaries or those who require life-sustaining treatments and living revocable trusts for avoiding probate.
You can rely on other sites in case US Legal Wills doesn’t suit your particular situation.
There’s Nolo’s Quicken WillMaker & Trust for those who need comprehensive services that offer more control for one low, flat rate and Trust & Will for people who require the basic estate plans at a relatively affordable price.
USLegalWills.com – Write a will, power of attorney or living will (Click here to get 15% off)Just answer the simple questions to create your legal documents online. Make updates at any time free of charge. Lawyer approved, at one-tenth the cost.