Customer Reviews

Quicken Willmaker Plus 2009 Edition: Estate Planning Essentials (Book with Software)

5 star:		(88)
4 star:		(31)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I originally wrote the following review for the Quicken WillMaker Plus 2007 software, which actually costs more than this book-CD-ROM bundle. This book-CD-ROM combo *DOES* include the full version of Quicken WillMaker Plus 2007; see my picture posted above. I highly recommend this book-CD bundle as it's both cheaper and more helpful. The book is a very good primer on the topic of estate planning.

Original review of the software, which mentions this Essentials kit:

I'm a fan of Nolo's Quicken Willmaker product. It helps you create your own estate planning documents as well as a few simple general legal documents. It's very easy to use, and works in all states (except Lousiana, where the estate planning documents created in this software won't be legal due to that state's specific drafting requirements).

There are a few things you should know, however, before purchasing the software.

First, Amazon also sells a book-CD version called Quicken Willmaker Estate Planning Essentials which combines a full book on estate planning with a full version of the Willmaker Plus software, and it sells for much less than the software alone! It's just a much better deal. Just search for "willmaker" in the Book section. (Note: the 2007 version, which is the one you *should* buy, is slated for release Oct. 30, according to the product page on Amazon.)

Second, the 2007 edition of the software gives you updates and tech support through the end of 2007. While you can create and modify and print and export documents created in Willmaker 2007 for as long as you own the software, you won't receive any updates beyond December 2007. If your state's estate planning law changes in January 2008, for instance, your will and other Willmaker-created documents *might* become outdated and no longer of legal value. Herein lies an interesting question, almost a catch-22: you bought this software to avoid the service of a lawyer, but in order to ascertain whether your documents will remain in legal force in the future, you may need to consult a lawyer! Of course, you can always opt to get the 2008 (and 2009 and 2010 and so on) versions. If Nolo continues to market the Estate Planning Essentials bundle for thirty bucks each year, you may still end up saving money upgrading each year rather going to a lawyer. (E.g., $30 a year times 30 years comes to less than $1000, cheaper than engaging a New York City or San Francisco lawyer for three hours!) My take: unless you live in a state that constantly alters its estate planning laws, you will probably be safe with just Willmaker 2007 and upgrade occasionally in the future, especially when your life situation experiences a big change. (For example, if you are married and, God forbid, divorce in 2011, you can skip editions 2008-2010 but do upgrade to the 2011 edition when you re-plan your estate.)

Third, while the software itself is easy to use with its step-by-step guide (and if you get the cheaper book version mentioned above, it's even better!), getting all the information you need about yourself (assets, beneficiaries, etc.) is actually quite a time-consuming process. Taht's why again I recommend the book-software bundle; it tells you what you need to do before running the software to write your will. Otherwise you'd be surprsied at how much prep work you'll actually have to do before finishing even a simple will!

One last thought: because this is self-help software, while many people will find it adequate, you may still want to talk to an estate attorney. For one thing, a legal will requires witnesses, and you might just as well pay your attorney and his assistant to act as your witnesses, if you don't want your friends or relatives to know what's in your will! For another, estate laws are getting more and more complicated, and vary by state, so a local attorney is still BY FAR the best and most reliable source and a competent attorney will provide invaluable services that no self-help software can offer. That said, I do recommend this excellent program (esp. the cheaper kit) for those obsessed with self-help and/or those looking to save money. (Yours truly belong to both types!) Besides, the Estate Planning Essential Kit, which I think is just GREAT, can educate you on the various topics in estate planning, so even if you choose to hire a lawyer, you'll talk smart and know what he or she is doing with your will and your trust.

(Again, Louisiana residents should seek an attorney's help. This software, or any other estate planning software I know of, won't work in your state.)

No adult with children or property is too young to start estate planning. However you choose to proceed, good luck!

[Disclaimer: This review, originally written Sept. 18, 2006, was updated on Oct. 9 after a Nolo representative e-mailed me about my misunderstanding of the software's update/upgrade policy. Also, please note that I'm *not* a lawyer (not even a law student!) and cannot offer any legal advice; please do not e-mail me with your legal questions.]

I just used this program to make wills and healthcare directives for my wife and me. Here are some of the features that I thought were worth noting:
* The program divides a document into sections and shows you a list of those sections, indicating which sections you have done. You can resume the interview at the beginning of any section and make changes from that point on.
* After doing one will, you can go to the File menu and Save for Spouse. This creates a copy of the will with the spouses names interchanged. Then you can go through the interview and make any needed changes.
* In the process of answering the questions, the program accumulates the names of people you mention into an editable contact list. After you mention someone once, the next time you need them you can simply select them from a list. This is handy when doing the healthcare directive, which needs to show contact information, if you have already entered that information when doing the will. It is also handy if you decide to redo portions of either document. When working on one family member's document, you can import contacts from another's document.
* The program does not appear to provide the option to list of two or more alternate executors to serve one at a time in the order named. The only way to list two or more alternate executors is to have two or more of them serve together. This is ironic, since the program recommends having only one executor at a time. Although I wanted to name my wife, children, and then siblings as alternate executors, I decided to accept just having my wife and son as executor and alternate. If all of us die in an auto accident while taking a trip together, then there is hopefully time for the probate court to name an executor. It would just be more expedient to have one already named.
* I contacted customer support asking them to enhance the program to add an option to list of two or more alternate executors to serve one at a time in the order named. The response stated why they chose to omit that option ("The editors choose to limit the number of fields for Beneficiaries and Executors to prevent the program from becoming to unwieldy") and some options (export the document and add the language or return the program). I was disappointed that they did not embrace my suggestion (I disagreed that it would make the program too unwieldy, since they already allow you to list multiple Beneficiaries and Executors that serve together at the same time), but I liked that I received a prompt response that indicated they had read my note and knew what I was talking about, and that they gave an honest, direct answer.
* At the end of the interview you can review the document as it will print. You can then print it directly to a printer, or export it as plain text or RTF. Exporting to RTF is handy if you need to change the document (they advise against changing it) or print it somewhere else. However, the RTF is not identical to printing directly. I noticed two differences. (1) Pagination can be different, and as explained by the program, getting the pagination right is important for legal reasons. (2) The footer is always different: the directly printed copy says how many total pages, whereas the RTF one does not. If you cannot print directly to a printer, I recommend printing to a PDF to maintain the pagination and other features. If you do not have a way to create a PDF, get a free PDF Writer (search on that term). When you print the document to PDF, print it as prepress so you embed the fonts.

This product is great and I highly recommend it. I was years behind in updating my will. The attorney who did my first will had stopped practicing law and I was not sure who to call. On top of that, I knew it was going to be expensive. You do not need an attorney to do a simple will. Most people can do it themselves easily with Quicken Willmaker Plus. On the Amazon site, you will see 2 different products called Quicken Willmaker Plus. One is software and one is a book. Buy the book. The information there will help you with the process, and the same software is inserted inside the cover of the book. On top of that, the book is cheaper than the software alone. With Quicken Willmaker plus, I was able to create my own will. Plus, it is saved in an electronic format and I can easily change it or update it in the future. Keep in mind, there are some situations where you should seek an attorney's help: 1) If you have a disabled or handicapped child that you want to provide for. 2) If you have been through a divorce and are trying to protect your assets from individual(s). Those situations are complicated and it would be wise to seek professional counsel. For most people though, you can do this yourself and save a lot of money. Most of us have just been convinced that we need a professional. I highly recommend this product. I have a lot of peace of mind now that I know this is taken care of. Oh by the way, this software will help you with some other important documents besides the will. You can create a durable power of attorney and create end-of-life documents including a living will. You don't have to put this off any longer.

Don't buy WillMaker toward the end of the year unless you are sure you will complete all your documents prior to the end of the year. Printing a document in 2008 with WillMaker2007 caused the software to produce a statement on the first page to the effect that I was using an out-of-date product and it may not comply with law. Of course, the updates from WillMaker cost more than purchasing WillMaker 2008 from Amazon.
WillMaker does a good job producing the required documents and is user-friendly. The will it produces has built-in obsolescence that is not necessary. (ie. If you are predeceased by your children, Willmaker allows only those grandchildren you have "named" to be contingent beneficiaries. This is fine unless a new grandchild is born after you've prepared your will, in which case you have to prepare a new will. This inconvenience could have been eliminated with the proper language by Willmaker, but they want you to have to purchase another year's version of the software.) Still, the software does the job and is cheaper than an attorney.

Few obsess, or even like to think about their own death. But it will happen, and generally not at a time of our own choosing. So why leave a legal mess for your family to clean up when you can spend thirty bucks and change for this software, and in less than an hour bang out a serviceable will? The software is interview-based, tailored to your State law, has a full range of forms and considerations, and is user-friendly. This small expenditure can save your heirs the cost and delays of probate court, and put your estate in the hands of an executor of your choice rather than one appointed by the court. And the exercise of making your will is a remarkable starting point for contemplation of the fleeting nature of life, and what you value in life. At least it was for me - and, full disclosure, I am not a lawyer, so I am blissfully ignorant of any of the software's flaws in this regard.

A final note - buy the book+software combo - it's cheaper than the software alone. And live long and prosper.

After looking at all possible options for creating wills for my husband and myself, I decided to give Willmaker a try.

I'm very happy I did!

The software not only gives you options, but also suggestions as to where to begin, and what is most important to people at the same age and status in life.

While you are filling out the forms, each page has concise definitions and explanations for all options on the right of the page. Making informed choices is easy and effortless.

My mother just revised her will, using a lawyer. The process was tedious and time consuming. Her resulting will and other documents are remarkably similar to mine. Her cost $1200.00. Using Willmaker, my husband and I created all the required documents in a few evenings, and took them to our bank for a notary and witness signatures. Our cost, under $40.

A perfect solution to a stressful and necessary task.

Since the more comprehensive reviewers here have already covered the features of Willmaker Plus 2007, I will only add a little opinion and a heep of praise to Quicken, for teaming up with Nolo in making this incredibly easy to use yet powerful program.

I must admit that I am not the sharpest tool in the shed, but I was able to create a simple Will without even opening the book because of the very easy to use step by step format. Legal jargon is explained brilliantly in laymans terms. This program is truly idiot proof!

Wills, Powers of Attorney for health care & finances along with other legal documents are the most important yet often neglected documents a person must deal with in life. Becoming incapacitated or dying without these documents in place can leave your loved ones with a real legal nightmare.

Completing my Will & Powers of Attorney and putting all of my important papers like deeds, titles, financial statements and insurance policies, in one place (known to loved ones) has given me tremendous peace of mind in knowing that my loved ones will have a much easier time resolving all of the legal matters if I become incapacitated or when I die.

I have created a Will and a living will with this handy program. The book that comes with it is quite extensive, but the instructions are also viewed with each page you create. It guides you through the process and is really easy. The only problem is, when you are done with the document, you actually need to take action, and have someone witness your signature, and you need to have some documents notarized. It is a process you must do, or some of the documents you create are useless. Don't be lazy like me, get it done, and forget about it! In addition to wills and estate planning, it also has common legal documents, like things for pet sitters, credit history requests, and authorizations for temporary guardianships for minors. It is quite the package!

My wife and I had been talking about writing a will ever since our daughter was born. 2 Years later I stumbled across this product. I have to say. It's dead easy and the book is a perfect reference for helping you through the finer points. 30 minutes and we were all set.

My wife and I bought this product before we went on an out of the country vacation and left our toddler with relatives. We wanted to have the peace of mind that our intentions were documented and known. Our situation is not complex so we found the program and documentation to be very accommodating.
I would guess that someone who had a great deal of acquired wealth and assests, or a complex family system may want to invest in an attorney's assistance.