A cheaper option for wills

There’s an alternative to hiring costly lawyers to draw up a will, said Paul Sullivan in The New York Times. Consumers are beginning to enlist inexpensive online services that walk you through the process. Outfits such as FreeWill, Rocket Lawyer, and LegalZoom “offer services to create estate plans for little or no money.” Some even provide a lawyer to speak with for no charge. “Creating a simpler, cheaper process was a driving force behind these online sites.” A recent cluster of celebrities passing away without having drawn up a will has cast a spotlight on Americans’ careless estate planning. Almost 60 percent are without a will— and the number is even higher for parents of dependent children, who may be most in need of a plan for their assets when they die.