It may seem like a stretch, but we believe that Do-It-Yourself Estate Planning is like cheating on an exam, perhaps the most important test of your life. Here’s why. In 2022, proctors at the University of Málaga in Spain thought it was odd that one of their test-takers had come to the exam with a large number of pens. A sharp-eyed examiner took a closer look and found that the plastic barrels were not ordinary pens; they each contained microscopic characters containing formulas, definitions and mnemonics etched so finely that the writing looked like a hairline crack. That is, until light hit the pen just right. Then the letters and numbers became magnified and readable. The test-taker who had made the pens with their treasure trove of hidden notes had put substantial effort into sidestepping the usual route of study and memorization. Each pen was a blueprint disguised as stationery, a semester’s worth of knowledge compressed into spirals of inkless script. From a distance: ordinary. Up close: an archive. But the effort failed along with the student. When the university posted photos of the confiscated writing instruments, the internet was split, many shook their heads at the treachery; others admired the student’s craftsmanship and ingenuity. It felt like a parable about our times: one’s creativity bending under pressure until it snaps into something brilliant and wrong at the same time. The strangest part wasn’t the cheating, it was the devotion. Hours of carving, calibrating, practicing strokes small enough to hide in the sheen of plastic. If that discipline had been turned toward study, those pens might have helped earn a signed diploma instead of an expulsion form. And so it is when people, taking part in this daily test that we call life, attempt shortcuts with their life’s work. The shortcuts may work, but they could end in disaster. Using shortcuts in estate planning is not unlike cheating on a test because both involve bypassing established, thorough processes to save time or effort. And the perception that a Do-It-Yourself strategy can save money often adds to the allure of solving one’s problem on their own. But ingenuity is a neutral tool. It can build a bridge. It can also carve a shortcut. And the risk of course is that the shortcut fails, resulting in an outcome that is likely to be flawed, invalid, or cause significant problems later on. There are many things that we rely on professionals to do for us, we would no more think to fix a gas or water leak in our home as we would try to repair the transmission in our car. We recognize the value of our homes and our vehicles and we hire experienced individuals that we know will do the job right, preserving the functionality and value of these important assets. So why would a person place their entire life’s work and the future security of their loved ones at risk by trying to do their own estate planning? It may be due to the perception that the cost of estate planning is excessive, or the fear of being taken advantage of by an unscrupulous planner. At Stouffer Legal we understand the apprehension that a potential client may feel when embarking on the estate planning process. That’s why we begin with a thorough education of what can happen when you don’t have a plan, or worse, what happens when you have the wrong plan. A fully educated client will learn the need for planning and the various options available to them to plan for their unique situation. And with full knowledge of the reasons for estate planning and the range of options available to them our clients can move forward with confidence that their plan will be the right one for them and their loved ones. So if you’re not sure that your current estate plan is in order we invite you to take the first step to getting your affairs in order. Attend one of our live estate planning workshops or view the workshop on our website, www.StoufferLegal.com. Once you have a full understanding of the reasons for planning and your estate planning options you can schedule a free Assessment Meeting with one of our estate planning attorneys in our offices in Towson, Gaithersburg or Annapolis.
Source: Law Student Busted After Etching Notes on Pens to Cheat in Exam - Newsweek
