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| Quicken Willmaker Plus 2005 With Free eBook | 
 enlarge | From: Nolo Press
Category: Software
List Price: $79.99
Buy New: $38.89
You Save: $41.10 (51%)
New (3) Used (1) from $38.89
Avg. Customer Rating:  5 reviews
Sales Rank: 3913
Format: Cd-rom
Platforms: Windows Nt, Windows 98, Windows 2000, Windows Me, Windows Xp
Media: CD-ROM
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.5 x 1.3
Model: WQP5R1
UPC: 093371371749
EAN: 0093371371749
ASIN: B00030B3JY
Release Date: August 27, 2004
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: *****BUYER NOTE*****No eBook...but, TWO Full programs!! Brand NEW in factory sealed DVD case...WillMaker 2005 Plus, Estate Planning Software (as shown), & Legal Business Pro 2005, Contracts & Forms!! You get both Full versions in a sealed DVD style case. Both retail for $189.99. Ready to ship fast!!
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| Features:
| • | Choose from 40,000 legal documents; protect family and assets | | • | Create a legal will, living trust, financial power of attorney, and more | | • | Comprehensive and easy to use with step-by-step interviews | | • | Automatically reflects specific state laws; cuts legal fees | | • | Comprehensive onscreen legal manual; expert tech support available |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com Product Review
None of us really wants to face the tasks of our own estate planning or writing out our living wills, but sooner or later we all should. If something should happen unexpectedly before we address these issues, our families could be forced to endure serious financial, emotional and even legal hardships. For years Nolo has been providing top-notch "do-it-yourself" legal solutions for consumers on virtually every legal matter imaginable, and in the process they have saved consumers literally millions of dollars in legal fees. The Quicken WillMaker Plus 2005 with Free eBook, designed by Nolo, is the most comprehensive, user-friendly, stress-free, do-it-yourself software available on the market. This is the perfect software for anyone who wants to take care of their estate issues now. What sets Nolo products apart from other legal do-it-yourself publishers is the legal breadth of their research and the ease-of-use of their products. WillMaker 2005 extends that reputation by assembling, in one software package, over 40,000 document possibilities for you to consider, and an interface that's intuitive and easy to use. In fact, if you are so determined, your will can be completed quickly in just a matter of minutes. For most of us, however, we'll want to take our time to consider the weighty issues that estate planning and living wills involve. With that in mind, Nolo has provided extensive online help for you to access. With each step along the way, you can turn to www.nolo.com to access legal dictionaries and get answers to complex legal questions in plain English. (Anyone who's ever worked with lawyers will tell you that the "plain English" by itself will be worth the price of the ticket!) On a monthly basis Nolo also posts changes in state laws that affect any WillMaker 2005 documents on its Web site. With Nolo behind you, you'll always be in sync with the latest legal changes that affect your will. In addition to saving you hundreds, or even thousands, of dollars by allowing you to create your own legal will, living trust, financial powers of attorney, health care directive (living will), and documents for your executor, WillMaker 2005 also provides you with invaluable estate-planning documents such as promissory notes, notices to terminate credit cards, pet-care agreements, and dozens of others. Nolo has thought of every possible need you'll encounter as you begin your planning process, making it as easy as possible for you to plan your will. Take the time and save your family from the burden of having to resolve your various financial and legal issues. For each document, WillMaker Plus takes you through a step-by-step interview, and your documents will automatically reflect the laws of your state. Once you've completed your forms, you can print them directly, or export them to an RTF file which can be opened in any word processor. In addition to the online legal support that's available, Nolo also offers any expert technical help you might need. For years WillMaker has been providing Americans with the power to take estate planning into their own hands, and this software has been consistently rated by leading consumer magazines and reviewers as the best estate software on the market. WillMaker 2005 Plus continues that legacy. As an added bonus, once you register your new software, you can download the $24.99, 384-page e-book, Get a Life: You Don't Need a Million to Retire Well by Attorney Ralph Warner, for free. In its fifth edition, Warner's guide can show you how to beat the anxiety surrounding retirement by developing a plan to make your golden years the best of your life.
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| Customer Reviews:
 not user friendly January 21, 2006
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
The documents are fine, but I found the software to be difficult to use. Even though the software is downloaded to your hard drive, you save each document seperately when it is completed. Very unweildy
 It needs to be done, so do it now! September 17, 2005
13 out of 13 found this review helpful
As another reviewer noted, the Schiavo case brought to light the need to get our affairs in order in a timely matter. This software does the trick. It's straightfoward and easy to use. There's a basic Q&A that gives the user an idea of what forms need to be used, and further Q&A to fill those forms out. It took me very little time (15 - 20 minutes in my case, others will vary) and gave me great peace of mind. You will have to get some forms notorized just in case there could be a dispute, but even a notary plus the cost of this software is a lot cheaper than any lawyer!
It doesn't work in Louisiana because that state organized its laws under the Napoleonic codes, rather than the English commonlaw. I haven't seen similar software developed for that fine state, which is a shame as there is such a need for inexpensive legal help.
I notice that the 2006 version of this product is out; as law changes all of the time it would be worth the extra $ to get the new version. If your budget doesn't extend that far, then this will work pretty well. Whatever you do, do it now. It will save your friends, your family, and you yourself much trouble and grief. This is peace of mind at bargain basement pricing!
Easy August 29, 2005
13 out of 13 found this review helpful
I used an old PC with Windows 98. This program was easy and quick. If you have a simple will or trust that is basic then this should save you much time and expense. It asks questions and I was able to make a living trust in about 15 minutes of which 99% of the legal speak is preformatted and has been carefully reviewed. The program gives all of the information on what to do after a will or trust has been made to finalize it. I am very pleased with it and glad I did not pay a lawyer $1000 to type the information into his computer program that does the same thing.
Great Product August 2, 2005
12 out of 13 found this review helpful
We have used all the different documents numerous times. A must have if you have children because of the medical authorization form and child care agreements. I highly recommend this software.
Easy to use, saves money, but beyond 2006? February 17, 2005
220 out of 223 found this review helpful
The recent heart-breaking Terri Schiavo case in Florida highlights the importance for everyone to have a living will as well as a regular will. You can go to a lawyer, buy a standard form from a legal stationery store, or use Willmaker Plus 2005.
This latest estate planning and family law software from Nolo Press is distributed by Quicken. Nolo is a company that has been publishing self-help legal books for many years, and their website provides a wealth of information. (Since I'm not a lawyer, I can't comment if their information is always accurate, but it's at least accessible to laypeople like me.)
Willmaker 2005 is for more than just writing your own will. It has many other legal documents which you can fill in, print out, and sign (in front of a notary public in some cases) to make them legally binding. The estate planning section is pretty comprehensive and works in every state except Louisiana. (I wonder why.) Setting up your legal will and living trust is pretty much a hassle-free, expense-free and lawyer-free process. The other types of documents you can create with this program include responses to those dreaded debt collection notices and filing consumer complaints. This is really a "family lawyer" package. (Quicken used to publish their own family lawyer program but has since replaced it with Nolo's more superior Willmaker.)
The software takes an interview approach. You pick a document you want to work on. It asks you a few questions and then drafts the document for you. You review the document and then print it out and follow the simple steps to make it legally binding. The "simple steps" often just involve you and two witnesses (including a notary public in some cases) signing the document; for simple letters such as a reply to a debt collection letter, you don't need witnesses.
While it would have been a lot nicer if the program could automate things a bit more, e.g., asking who you are and then choosing the documents for you, I guess writing a will or any legal document should not be a totally brainless thing; you have to understand what it's all about and what's involved, since we are talking legally binding documents here. (Of course, you must be mentally valid in order to create a will.)
The program comes with a printed user manual. While the manual is a little confusing and makes using the program look more complex than it actually is, it's nice to have printed documentation which you can refer to readily.
I like the software and, being a paranoid that I am, like doing my will and doing it for free. I can also do the wills for my family.
My only concern about using the software stems from this passage from the second page of the manual:
"Product support (including Web update) for Quicken WillMaker Plus 2005 ends on January 1, 2006. ... Please note that legal documents created and signed before January 1, 2006 will remain legally valid and enforceable if you have used Web Update regularly. You will need to upgrade your software only if you want to create new documents or update existing documents."
Does this mean I'll need to buy a new version each and every year from now on? (I fancy my financial and family situation will change over time and thus require additions and/or amendments.) While upgrading the software still beats a trip to the attorney, it would nonetheless be quite an annoyance.
(In all fairness, both Quicken and Microsoft are moving to a subscription-like model for their financial software, so I guess that's the inevitable trend.)
Happy estate planning!
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