chapman@lll-lcc.UUCP (03/04/87)
About a month ago I posted a request for info on will-writing programs
for the Macintosh. A number of people sent responses and other people asked
me to post the results. Thanks to everyone who responded. Here is a summary
of what I learned:
The only will-writing program that people mentioned was WillWriter,
published by Legisoft, Inc. and Nolo Press. Not everyone was happy with it,
but seeing how it is practically the only thing around, I bought it.
I got version 2.1. Apparently, WillWriter was first written for another
computer and then ported to the Mac. It shows. I haven't had it crash on
me, which some people had reported with earlier versions, but I sometimes find
it hard to get it to do what it's supposed to do. For example, they may have
a screen which says, "Click on the button below or hit Return". Clicking works,
but hitting Return doesn't. That type of thing. Also, the company recommends
that you not put it on your hard disk, although they did send directions on
how to do this if you feel that you must. The diskette is not copy protected,
a very nice feature. One big drawback is that it won't work with the
LaserWriter and when I used it on my ImageWriter II, the printing didn't look
all that nice because WillWriter tended to add extraneous characters (\\)
on blank lines. Strange!
If this all sounds negative, let me now say that basically, I'm very
happy with WillWriter. It is very user-friendly, allowing me to make a simple
will without worrying about legal terms. The 200 page manual that comes with
it is excellent. WillWriter creates a will that is valid in all states except
Louisiana and the District of Columbia. I can change the will as often as I
want without having to see a lawyer. Also, Nolo Press has an update service
to notify people if the laws change. For very wealthy people with estates
of $1 million or more, a lawyer would be best, but for struggling middle class
types like me, WillWriter is well worth the $27 I paid to MacConnection.
I hope this helps some other people.
Carol Chapman (chapman@lll-crg.arpa)