On a recent episode of the Suze Orman TV show, she announced that you can go to her website and get her Online Will & Trust kit for free for a limited time. . Here’s how to get it:
- Go to SuzeOrman.com.
- Click on Will & Trust Kit link on upper left menu.
- Click the orange Gift Code button.
- Type in the code “people first”.
I signed up for the initial profile successfully, but haven’t finished the questionnaires. The software includes the ability to create a will, a revocable trust, Financial Power of Attorney, and an Advanced Directive / Durable Power of Attorney for Healthcare. One less reason for putting off doing one of these if it’s free! 🙂
I’m not sure how this compares to a more established legal service like LegalZoom which I had considered using up until now (I used them to incorporate my home business), but they charge about $100. I suppose I must add that if you have substantial assets an estate attorney might be worth the extra cost.
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Thank you. I don’t watch the show, but thought her new book was amazing, in what it covered. Thanks for saving me 2500$ or so!
Thanks for the post. I’ve been meaning to set up a will for months now. This looks I don’t have any excuses anymore.
sweet, thanks. a lot of stuff to complete!
Thanks, this is great info.
Thank you! I greatly appreciate this.
Awesome! This is exactly why I HAVE to read your blog everyday. Has been on the “to-do” list for while now, but now we’re really looking forward to marking these as ‘DONE’!
Thanks for the notice. Without you posting, I wouldn’t know about any of these offers!
A-a-a-h, yeah,
Barman says no free lunch. Say, do you fill in those holes in your chest & head, or just let’em bleed? Are you gettin’ wha’cha want or wha’cha need?
There are a number of solicitors’ services that have some value in doing them yourself (and even then it’s risky). Do it yourself will kits on the other hand, merely pay for lawyers’ boats.
I saw this last night on her show, too! So exciting – makes me happy that I enjoy the pf subject & her advice 🙂
I would have to say that if you have a very simple estate, or very limited needs, then you might be able to get away with doing this yourself. I am not a lawyer, and do not handle any of these types of documents, however, I always advise my clients to consult an attorney on all matters such as wills and/or trusts. Simply put, you probably have no legal background, and therefore are trusting your unique situation to an all-in-one, pre-formatted kit, and wouldn’t have a clue if you create the documents incorrectly. It is a very dangerous thing to take into your own hands with no experience or working knowledge especially something as important as finances.
Thank you, Jonathan!! I have to agree — watching Suze leer at me with those EYES as I progressed through the setup pages on her site was a little unnerving, but overall I am very impressed with her efforts to make these vital documents freely available.
Does anyone know – upon completion of these documents, are they totally legal, or do I still need to spend $$ to have them proofread by an attorney? Perhaps Suze’s site will answer this upon completion of the documents, but my “too good to be true” gene is kicking in.
This is a terrific tip!! I’m blogging about it tomorrow…
Hi, Thanks for the info. Does anyone have experience of having obtained whole completed document(s)? And if so what do you think? I do not have enough knowledge to be sure that all the documents are as good as those prepared by a lawyer who is charging big bucks.
I agree with Eric, be careful here. Also, as I understand it, even if you have a will, your estate still goes to probate. Personally, I have a Living Trust by an Attorney who specializes in this. It was only about $2K which was worth every dime. Having any Will is better than having nothing.
Jun—nothing will ever replace the services of a trained, experienced professional. If you have no legal background, how do you even know what information is required to complete these forms and that they will hold up in court? It is the same as doing taxes: a program may be beneficial if the information necessary is simple and straight-forward, but the more complicated your situation, the more convoluted the process becomes.
By spending the money on a professionally-prepared document, not only are you sure that it will be legally acceptable, but you generally will get the assistance of the preparer should anything be challenged in legal proceedings.
I have the same question as Rick. I didn’t use Suze Orman’s program but I did purchase Willmaker last year and held off on completing the program until I find out what I do with the document once it is completed.
I am involved in this area of the law on a daily basis, and today reviewed 4 wills from 4 different attorneys and found TONS of mistakes.
I couldn’t begin to imagine that a canned document would work for every situation in every state. Do yourself a favor, if you have any kind of substantial net worth have the docs done properly.
Thanks for the tip! I just signed up, as this has been on my to-do list forever. Even if there are some issues with the program, it’s got to be better than having nothing!
Thank you very, very much. I’ve been intending to do this since I read “Women and Money.”
Jonathan – I noticed your last statement about using Legal Zoom to incorporate your home business. I hope you know that you can do that MUCH more cheaply by just registering with your Secretary of State.
I started to signup for Legal Zoom and found they wanted to charge me $600+. I signed up with the Secretary of State for $125. Now
THAT is a savings!
Isn’t that an OJ Simpson lawyer that owns legalzoom? The one that advertises on T.V.? In all good conscious I couldn’t contribute one dollar to that man’s income using legalzoom, could you?
You may already know this, but the gift code ‘people first’ also worked with the insurance kit.
Thanks for all your helpful tips.
I tried to get your Will and Trust Kit by following the directions above, but it just kept saying there was an error on the page. I would still like to see about getting that kit so please let me know how or what I need to do.
I purchased the Will and Trust Kit and did both, had them notarized, but I live in Indiana, I did not realize this may only be for California law. Is this a generic Will and trust that can be used in any state? Is there anything about California Law that I need to amend for Indiana? If so is there a form I can get to do this or do I have to do this work all over again?
Thank you! This is great!
I bought the Susy Orman Will and Trust program years ago and never got around to using it. Then I was able to get a Trust done for free through group legal service through work. I went in expecting to spend hours going over questions and documents. We went in for one visit and talked about an hour about general things and left. A few days later he had a good size binder all put together with probably 200 pages in it. There were maybe 8 to 10 pages with spaces that we had to fill in answers to. I can tell you that ninety nine percent of any basic trust done by a lawyer is just as generic and simple as the Susy Orman version but cost much more. That is what I found in my case. Susy suggest that when you are done with her version you should have a lawyer review it to be sure it is complete. A couple hundred bucks for that is better than 2K and you get the same product in the end.
I need to make a will and or a living trust. I have 62 and will retire in two years. I have five children all over the country. Please send what you have. Thanks Blaine Jordan
I have the same concern as Dawn Decker. I purchased the kit in 2005, signed it, had it notorized and witnessed. But I live in North Carolina, not California. Should I have lawyer do the financial and health power of attorney, or will before it is too late? I need a reply immediately, I am concerned!