Great, thoughtful review of an important HBO special here.  I don't even have access to HBO, so I have to go out of my way to find this, but it's worth it.  Although most people put off planning and thinking about end-of-life decisions too long because they think it's depressing, the reality is that most people find that doing the work and thinking about their wishes for end-of-life care and final arrangements is actually uplifting; there's a lightening that you feel when you make your peace with the fact that we're all mortal, and that we will all leave people we care about and stuff we've acquired behind.  Life planning, including plans for what to do if we find ourselves faced with intractable pain, is actually a liberating thing to do.

  Interesting short article from USAA Magazine includes these points:

   "EVERYONE LOVES A BARGAIN.  But sometimes trying to save money ends up costing more in the long run.  Here are five areas where it's better to skip the discount and save up for high-quality fare."
  The second item listed:

  "ESTATE PLANNING:  For as little as $15, you can buy a do-it-yourself kit for drawing up a will.  However, the USA Educational Foundation points out that estate planning is a complex issue and recommends you update estate planning documents whenever there is a major change in your life or in the tax code.  It might be worth paying an estate planning attorney to make sure you've covered your bases.  Costs vary but generally begin in the $800 to $1,800 range, with more complex documents costing $2,000 and up."

  Now, obviously, I sell estate planning services -- or, as I prefer to think of it and do it, I sell life planning services.  And part of life planning, if only out of courtesy to those left behind, necessarily includes some thinking about what should happen to all your stuff you're going to leave in this world when you depart (known as your estate).  But whether I did life planning or not, I would definitely agree that the people who wind up spending the most on legal bills are invariably the ones who set out to spend the absolute least.  Bottom line, there is nothing more expensive than trying to undo some "home-brew" estate planning that is one part Wikipedia, one part TV shows, and one part a quick discussion with family members.  This really is a case where it's probably better to do nothing than it is to do something wrong while trying to save a little money on legal fees.