persimmonfrost | Jun. 26th, 2012

Yes, I was. I was skeptical that any kind of software could begin to help me create legal documents for end-of-life situations. I found out how difficult that kind of thing is when I tried to help my parents through the maze of decisions and documents and choices. To be fair, their estate was somewhat complex, and mine is simple, but with laws varying by state, I wasn’t sure that you could have anything like a one-size-fits-all solution.

Enodare has proved me wrong with Will Writer 2012, a surprisingly comprehensive application that helps create much more than just a will. It helps you through the writing of an estate plan, the forms needed for living wills, living trusts, powers of attorney for both healthcare and finance and of course the will itself. Possibly the most important of these is the estate planning part of the software because if you don’t have a solid estate plan, nothing can really help you put together documents that will ensure that your wishes are honored at the end of your life. So after you’ve poked around all the other forms, sit down and spend some serious time with the estate planner. Trust me when I say that everything else will be easier if you complete it to your satisfaction.

Enodare provides forms which can be filled out to cover virtually any wishes you might have. Okay well, any wishes I might have. Your mileage may vary on this since it’s one of the most personal things you’ll ever do. And alongside each worksheet there’s an explanation of what the questions mean, what the intention is behind them. If I have a quibble with this software at all it’s that I didn’t always find the explanations as clear or comprehensive as I would have liked. The program also provides notices of revocation of all of these documents, just in case you have second thoughts after you’ve created them.

Before you work with any of these forms you should give a lot of thought to how you want to dispose of your estate, and how you want your medical and financial situation handled if the time ever comes when you can’t make decisions for yourself. Be sure you understand the laws in your area (There’s a legal manual included.) and if you have any questions you can’t answer easily, then it’s time to consult a lawyer. If you have a complicated estate, you might want to put these papers together and take them to a lawyer to find out if the documents will hold up. Will Writer can be a terrific help but it won’t handle every situation. It’s still not a one-size-fits-all solution, but it’s a darn good start if you’re willing to do your homework.