LegalZoom : Vending Machine :: Law Firm : Restaurant
Sometimes you just want a quick snack or beverage, and some junk food from a vending machine is your only convenient option. It’s understandable. This is why there are so many public vending machines. It does not matter how sophisticated they get, whether they heat food, mix a drink, flash lights, take a credit card, Apple Pay, Bitcoin, or actual U.S. coins, a vending machine is still a vending machine; i.e., a heartless machine that usually breaks down at some point. At the end of it, you get some stale one-size-fits-all product that does not really meet your needs, but you usually do not realize it until you open the bag.
If you had a dollar invested in a Snicker’s bar at a vending machine, and the vending machine broke down before the candy bar drops, you would get upset, and you would either feed in another dollar (and hope two will drop), or you would walk away (and maybe perform the traditional “pound on the machine maneuver” and then walk away).* That is what a single lost dollar looks like.
Do not use a vending machine for estate planning.
Imagine if you could feed your entire life into a vending machine. Your house, your cars, your furniture, and your retirement accounts. Add to that the control and well-being of your minor children, your spouse’s life, and your very own ability to live, and then imagine what would happen if that vending machine did not work precisely how you wanted.
Why risk going to a vending machine to get your will, trust, advance healthcare directive, durable power of attorney, grant deeds, and more, when there are healthier alternatives? If a self-directed software system like LegalZoom is akin to a vending machine, then a law firm is like a restaurant with real humans listening to your specific needs and delivering a wholesome meal to you and your family. Do not use a vending machine in the place of a restaurant.
At the Law Office of Merrill A. Hanson, we are happy to speak with you about your estate planning needs. Initial estate planning sessions are free. Let us know how we can serve you.
*No, I’m not endorsing the destruction of personal property
Merrill A. Hanson
Law Office of Merrill A. Hanson
180 N. Glendora Ave., Ste. 201
Glendora, CA 91741
Tel./Txt: 626-905-4682
Originally Published November 9, 2016
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This page is not intended to convey legal advice. You should contact an attorney for your specific situation.
