Can I Write My Own Will in Tennessee?
Can I write my own will in Tennessee? That's a question I get a lot in my estate planning 101 workshops that I've been hosting for over a decade. I have heard this question so many times, and it's a fair question. 

With rising gas prices and food prices, everything seems to be getting more and more expensive. We're all looking for ways we can trim costs. So is estate planning one of those areas? With the rise of AI tools and all these legal form generators, is that a good idea? Well, the question I think that we should be asking is not, can I write my own will in Tennessee, but should I write my own will if I'm living in Tennessee?

 And there's a difference. Just like my parents told me as a child, just because you can doesn't mean you should. Maybe you've had that experience when you are painting a room and you decide I'm going to do it myself and then it all goes wrong. Sometimes there are areas where we just need to call a professional in. And in my opinion, estate planning is one of those areas. 

Now I know what you're probably thinking and it's what I tell all of my attendees at my workshops. I know you're thinking, of course Natasha, you're a lawyer. You want to make the most money possible. So you're going to tell me that I need to go to you to get an estate plan. But here's my response. If I wanted to make as much money as possible, I would tell everyone to go and write their own wills.

You want to know why? Because I make way more money fixing your mistakes. 
That is right. Some of the most complicated, messy estates that I have administered in my over 20 year career in this area are estates where people wrote their own wills.

I go into more detail about the potential issues that may arise from choosing to try to just do things on your own in the video below.

If you would like to schedule an estate planning strategy session, you can click here to learn about the estate planning strategy process.

You can book a time on that page. I would love to serve you.

Is My Out-Of-State Will Or Estate Plan Valid In The State Of Tennessee? 
I've gotten a lot of clients who are new to the state of Tennessee and want to know if their will or trust that was executed in California, New York, Illinois, Florida, etc. valid in the state of Tennessee? And here's the answer. Probably. 

I couldn't say for sure yes or no, but what I can tell you is in the state of Tennessee we do recognize other states' estate planning documents so long as they meet certain guidelines. 

So there's a very good chance that if you have a well-drafted will or trust from another state, it will be fine here in Tennessee. Here's the thing that I will tell you though. When you move to another state, that is one of those life transitions that call for a little checkup of your estate plan. 

Just like when there are births, deaths, divorces, relocations are another one of those life transitions that warrant a look at what you have currently in your estate plan. Do the things that are in the document accurately reflect your current wishes? And here's the great news. Even if there are some changes that need to be made, you can usually do that with very simple documents.

You can watch the video below for a more details.
If you would like to schedule an estate planning strategy session, so that I can help you review your out-of-state estate planning documents, you can click here to learn about the estate planning strategy process.

You can book a time on that page. I would love to serve you.
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