DIY Estate Planning in Florida
Online forms can be a helpful place to start. Here’s what they can miss, and what a comprehensive plan adds, so you can decide what’s right for your family.
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Online estate planning is quick, affordable, and easy to start, and taking the first step matters.
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Many families begin this way. A form can't ask about your family, your assets, or your goals, so some details can slip through.
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Here's what to look for.
Why DIY Is So Appealing
Online estate planning is quick, affordable, and easy to start, and taking the first step matters. Many families begin this way. A form can’t ask about your family, your assets, or your goals, though, so some details can slip through. Here’s what to look for.
What DIY Plans Can Miss
Signing requirements
Florida has specific signing, witnessing, and notary steps. It’s easy to miss one, and a missed step can affect whether a document is valid.
Funding your trust
A trust works best when your assets are titled to it. It’s a step that’s easy to overlook without guidance.
Beneficiary designations
Retirement accounts, life insurance, and joint accounts often pass outside your documents, so it helps to make sure they match your plan.
Your family’s details
Templates can’t always account for blended families, young children, a loved one with special needs, a business, or property in another state.
Florida rules
Florida has its own rules, such as homestead rules for your home, that general software may not address.
A second set of eyes
Without a review, small errors can go unnoticed until the documents are needed. A quick review now can catch them while they’re easy to fix.
What a Comprehensive Plan Looks Like
Documents are only part of a plan. Here’s what a comprehensive plan brings together.
Protecting Your Assets
- A revocable living trust, when it fits your goals
- A will that works with your trust
- Help titling assets and reviewing beneficiary designations so everything works together
Making Decisions for You
- A durable power of attorney for financial decisions
- A health care directive, including your choice of health care surrogate
- HIPAA authorizations so your loved ones can get medical information
Caring for Your Family
- Guardian choices for minor children
- Planning for a loved one with special needs, when needed
Keeping It Current
- Signing guidance, so your documents are completed correctly
- Ongoing reviews and updates through our Client Care Program
Three Steps to a Plan That Fits
Talk it through
We learn about your family, your assets, and what you want to happen.
Design your plan
We build your documents around your situation, not a template.
Put it in place
We guide you through signing and help you set everything up so it works as intended.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a DIY estate plan valid in Florida?
It can be. A DIY plan is valid when the documents are completed correctly and signed with the required witnesses and notary. A quick review by an attorney can help confirm everything is in order.
What does a comprehensive estate plan include?
A comprehensive plan brings your documents together so they work as one. That usually includes a trust or will, a durable power of attorney, a health care directive, and guidance on titling your assets and reviewing beneficiary designations. We also help with guardian choices for minor children and planning for a loved one with special needs, when needed. You can read more about how we approach this on our estate planning page.
My situation is simple. Do I still need an attorney?
Not always, but a short consultation can help you find out. Sometimes a simple plan is exactly right, and sometimes there are details, like beneficiary designations or how assets are titled, that are worth a second look.
I already made a DIY plan. What should I do?
That’s a great start. Bring your documents to us, and we’ll review them with you, explain what’s working, and suggest anything to update.
Can I start online and build on it later?
Yes. Many families start with a few documents and build from there. What matters is reviewing your plan as your family, assets, and goals change.