Consider yourself forewarned. With Nolo Press’s WillMaker 6.0, you’ve run out of excuses for not writing a will, health-care directive, or final-arrangement document.
Let’s start with the classic excuse, “It’s too complicated.” Thanks to WillMaker’s easy-to-follow, personal interview format, that excuse hasn't worked in years. In WillMaker 6.0, Nolo has added an online legal manual, making the question-and-answer process even easier. Whenever you’re puzzled about the ramifications of a choice, you can click on the More Information button; in a separate window, the context-sensitive legal guide offers an explanation of the subject at hand.
Unlike most legal guides, WillMaker is easy to understand and marked by the kind of commonsense advice you’d want from an attorney. For instance, you might want to have your ashes flung off the local bridge. The legal guide reminds us, however, that “there are some local laws controlling scattering that may thwart your wishes.” However, the guide also adds that “in reality, these laws are very difficult to enforce if the scattering is done privately and quietly.”
Next, consider the shopworn “Writing a will takes too long” excuse. WillMaker 6.0’s interface improvements make the process so straightforward, I was able to complete a relatively basic will, health-care directive, and final-wishes document in less than two hours.
Expense is another habitual excuse for not writing a w ill. While going to an attorney might cost you thousands, WillMaker’s list price has remained steady at $69.95.
While you should see a lawyer for complicated wills and documents, WillMaker 6.0’s enhancements will do the job for most people. The new “pot trust” option, for instance, lets you leave property in one trust for all your children and direct a trustee to distribute the money according to each child’s situation. You can now make an unlimited number of bequests. And version 6.0 lets you name coexecutors for your will.
WillMaker 6.0 could stand some tweaking. Early in the will interview process, you create a list of names (complete with contact information) for designating beneficiaries and executors. Adding a name to the list later, though, is curiously awkward, and the list is linked only to the wills component. Also, version 6.0 won’t import wills created in WillMaker 5.0.
The Last Word WillMaker 6.0’s inconveniences aren’t major — and they certainly aren’t big enough to classify as excuses. If you need to write a will, healthcare directive, or final-arrangement document, WillMaker is an easy, straightforward wav to get the job done.
Martin, James A. (August 1996). WillMaker 6.0. Macworld. (pg. 80).
Nolo Press
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WIW605CD.zip
Emulating this? It could probably run under: 
SheepShaver
