Susie Ormans Trust and Will , serious problem - Page 2

SeaMaiden · ‎03-10-2010

Shame on Susie for misleading people to make money off of them.

naturalfan · ‎03-09-2010

I just went to see a lawyer this morning about writing a will for me. How I dreaded going. I'm sure whatever tales of weird family issues I had to mention, she heard stories much worse. I put it off and put it off but I am really glad I finally did it.

pommom · ‎03-10-2010

In Texas a handwritten will with two witnesses is considered valid. That's what I did.

If your face brightens when you meet a friend, you have struck gold. - unknown

CalminHeart · ‎03-09-2010

There have been a number of complaints reported over the years. I would never order from her. I can get better information directly from my advisor.

NYC Susan · ‎03-13-2010

@Tinkrbl44 wrote:
@nanatothree wrote:
I purchased Susies kit a few years ago and proceeded to make a trust and will. Later on I was asked to do one for a relative. This person died recently and our lawyer went before a judge, the wording in the document wasnt correct for our state. Now we are fighting relatives who are taking the opportunity to protest the will. I have since been reading up on this will kit and it seems that the forms are cookie cutter and do not take into consideration the differences between states. Now I am going to do what I should have done in the first place and get a lawyer. My advice to any who have used this kit, please dont think that your estate is safe. I have had to learn the hard way and I wouldnt want anyone to be going through what my family is going suffering now. Take it to a lawyer ASAP, before anything happens.
PLEASE report this to her on her website. She needs to know this.

I think it's extremely unlikely that she does not already know I don't believe for a minute that she is unaware. She certainly consulted with attorneys and completely protected herself long before it was ever released for sale. It likely says somewhere that it's for general use, may not be valid in all states, she cannot be held responsible, etc. As with everything we purchase, it's buyer beware.

I always kind of laughed when I would read here and elsewhere "Suze said.....", as though she's the final authority. She's not, and people shouldn't be blindly trusting her.

(This is not a criticism of the OP, but rather a condemnation of Suze Orman. A certain amount of sales ploy nonsense is to be expected when the item is a bracelet or a mop, but she should be ashamed of herself for deliberately misleading people about something so important. Thank you to the OP for getting the word out.)

KathyPet · ‎03-09-2010

The instructions given with the will kit clearly state several places that it is recommended that you have the will reviewed by a attorney in your state due to variances in state law. If you chose to ignore those recommendations the onus is on you not her.

Lipstickdiva · ‎03-10-2010

@pommom wrote:
In Texas a handwritten will with two witnesses is considered valid. That's what I did.

Same here in Ohio but you better make sure it has everything in it you need. That is the problem.

novamc1 · ‎07-02-2015

My husband and I have hired the same estate-planning law firm to update and rewrite our trust, wills and other documents three times over the years, from our kids' childhoods until we reached retirement age. The fees we paid each of the three times were several thousand of dollars each time.

We're about to sign papers to buy a home in and move to another state, and expect to pay an estate-planning lawyer down there to produce new documents specific to the laws in that state.

Good advice does not come cheap. Online legal resources do not take into account rules and laws in each individual state. (Also, wills alone will not keep your heirs from having to go through a lengthy probate process, in case you didn't know).

The hassle involved in getting into a spat with heirs when an estate is settled, or creating any estate-settling hassles for your heirs in the first place, just isn't worth trying to cut corners on getting good advice and good state-specific documents tailored to your needs (at least to me)

NYC Susan · ‎03-13-2010

@KathyPet wrote:
The instructions given with the will kit clearly state several places that it is recommended that you have the will reviewed by a attorney in your state due to variances in state law. If you chose to ignore those recommendations the onus is on you not her.

I'm sure they do. There is absolutely no way that she put this product out without covering herself legally.

My gripe is that she claims in her on-air presentations that the kit can be used in every state and that there's no need for an attorney. I just did a quick google search, and ads for it claim the same thing. She certainly is not honest and upfront about that in her presentations. It's not outright lying, but she is being deliberately misleading.

Claiming that there's no need for an attorney ("You can do it yourself!") and that it's valid in every state is morally wrong, IMO, when the truth is that it's NOT valid in every state and that it's advisable to have it reviewed by an attorney. As I said in my post, it's always buyer beware, so we agree on that point. However, that doesn't excuse the sneaky way she's promoting this product. She knows that people trust her and believe her, and she's taking advantage of that. I would have far more respect for her if she stood behind her product and was honest enough to at least mention the disclaimer.

As I said, sales tactics are expected on a shopping channel, but I really think there should be a higher standard for a product like this when misrepresenting what it is can easily be the cause of serious problems for the consumer.

(And maybe it's just me, but having it reviewed by an attorney kind of takes away the whole point of not going to one in the first place. If I'm going to end up in an attorney's office anyway, I might as well just have the attorney prepare whatever documents I need.)