If you don't make a will before your death, state law will determine who gets your property and a judge may decide who will raise your children. In your will, you can make these decisions yourself.

When a Basic Will Is Enough

By and large, if you are under age 50 and don't expect to leave assets valuable enough to be subject to estate taxes, you can probably get by with only a basic will. But as you grow older and acquire more property, you may want to engage in more sophisticated planning

Take a common situation where a husband and wife want to leave their property to each other or, if they die together, to their children in equal shares. They also want to name a personal guardian for their children. They can safely make simple wills themselves without hiring a costly expert

This is probably the most comprehensive and authoritative directory of estate planners on the net.

You can search for estate planners via state, city or specific keywords. If it isn't listed here, it probably isn't worth knowing about.