RRiecke  

What will $17 buy? 

A pizza (maybe two, depending on where you buy your pizza), a CD (for those of us who still buy music in a store), you might even be able to take a date to a movie (forget the concessions though).  So, why would you spend $17 a month for a Pre-Paid Legal Family Plan?  What if you were able to see a great return on your investment in the VERY FIRST WEEK after you buy your membership – or during that FIRST $17 month!?  What if year after year you could realize an incredible return with your membership for doing something that most people need to do anyway?

The Pre-Paid Legal Family Plan membership provides Will preparation for the member and spouse (spouse is generally $20, but if completed at the same time, and within the first sixty (60) days of your membership it's also included at no additional cost).  That’s TWO Wills that meet the needs of most North Americans.  With Pre-Paid Legal your Wills are prepared by lawyers who are experienced in the area of law dealing with Will preparation.  Not only that, after you send in your questionnaire, if your lawyer has any questions or concerns about how you’ve requested your Will to be prepared (eg…if a request may not be in your best interest from a tax perspective, or your disbursement of your estate may be more likely to be contested because of the manner in which you’ve indicated disbursement to occur), then a he/she will call you to ask questions and give advice before your Will is prepared and mailed to you.

So, let’s review, for as little as $17 a month, you receive two Wills prepared (for you and your spouse) at no additional cost, in addition to MANY MANY other benefits that can help you throughout the year.

What would having a Will prepared by an experienced lawyer cost you outside of a legal plan membership?  Would you know where to go?  Unfortunately, a quick internet search on “cost of legal services” and “cost to prepare a Will” was unsuccessful in easily finding sites that provide straight forward pricing for Will preparation.  I suppose you could flip through your local yellow pages and find a lawyer to call and get a price quote.  I DID find several legal forms sites that offered Will preparation services.

Did you know that you can buy a Will form online – and even have an online legal forms company prepare it for you for as little as $59.95 (prices vary, but the online legal forms site pricing seems comparable.  This price was found at a well-known and reputable legal forms site at the time of this article)…but often, the disclaimers on these sites point to the need for an attorney – and “preparation services” are little more than an online form that you fill out to populate their standard Will form.  On a popular legal forms site, this is a sample of the disclaimer that applies to their legal forms:  “[This Online Legal Form Company] provides Legal Information which is not legal advice.  Legal information informs you of the law and your rights but does not advise you what course of action to take for your situation.  Legal advice is what lawyers provide.”

While these online companies DO provide quite a range of legal documents and forms, what they don’t seem to provide is that extra, and we believe, a necessary, step – a real lawyer’s advice and assistance.  Blank forms may be legal documents, probably even prepared by experienced attorneys, but like many things in life, it’s not only important to be sure you have the right tool for the job, but it’s critical that you know how to use that tool.  We believe advice from a lawyer is critical when dealing with any legally binding document - particularly one that is designed to look after those you love when you’re no longer able.

With Pre-Paid Legal, you not only get two Wills prepared by a lawyer (who will provide advice if needed), but you also receive yearly updates (no charge for the member, $20 for spouse).  All for as little as $17/month!  If the Will preparation benefit were the only thing you received, we believe it would be well worth the $17 per month (or $204/year).  However, with Pre-Paid Legal, you get so much more.  And, as life happens for a Pre-Paid Legal member, his/her Pre-Paid Legal Lawyers stand ready to advise and assist.

Talk with a Pre-Paid Legal Independent Associate today to learn more about how you can get a Pre-Paid Legal membership!

NOTE:  Pre-Paid Legal membership plan benefits and costs vary by state and province, the above information is for illustrative purposes only. For plan details, benefits, and exclusions, consult a plan brochure - available by contacting any Pre-Paid Legal Independent Associate.