WILLMAKER 8 FOR WINDOWS Version 8.1 8/15/01 Important Information Thank you for buying WillMaker 8 for Windows. We hope you will enjoy using this product and find it useful. We have worked hard to make this product as trouble free as possible. This file contains important information that did not make it into the manual but that you should be aware of. We've done our best to ensure that WillMaker is legally up-to-date when published. Nonetheless, laws can and do change. We periodically update our software to reflect changes in the law. To make sure that you're using the most recent and most legally up-to-date version of WillMaker, go to the "Resources and Support" page on Nolo's web site at http://www.nolo.com/willmaker/index.cfm CONTENTS OF THIS FILE: * New Features in WillMaker 8 * If You Updated to WillMaker 8.1 Using a Patch * Read Your Documents Carefully Before You Sign Them * Converting WillMaker 6 Wills to WillMaker 8 Format * Print Options * Long Names May Be Split Into Two Names in the Names List * Files in the Portfolio Backups Folder * Opening Files in the Portfolio Backups Folder * Printer Incompatibilities * Print Preview in Large Fonts * Palette Problems on Splash Screen * Resizing the WM8 Program Window Under Windows XP ************************************************************* NEW FEATURES IN WILLMAKER 8 WillMaker 8 includes seven new authorization and agreement forms to help you take care of loved ones, pets and property. These new forms are available by clicking the "Your Authorizations and Agreements" icon on the main document choice screen. See the Legal Manual, Chapter 16, for more information. - Temporary Guardianship Authorization. Use this authorization if you will be leaving your child in the care of another adult for a few days or longer. - Authorization for Minor's Medical Treatment. This form permits another adult to authorize necessary medical care for your child during a specified activity, such as after-school sports, or when your child is in the care of that adult for an extended period of time. - Authorization for Foreign Travel with Minor. Use this authorization if your child will be traveling outside the United States with another adult. - Authorization to Drive a Motor Vehicle. This is the form to use when you lend your car or other motor vehicle to someone other than a close relative (someone with the same last name as yours), if you won't be easily available to confirm that the driver has your permission to use the vehicle. - Child Care Agreement. Use this agreement to hire a babysitter or nanny to care for your child. - Elder Care Agreement. Use this agreement to hire someone to care for an older parent or other relative. - Pet Care Agreement. Use this agreement whenever you need to board an animal with a friend, relative or neighbor for a significant length of time. In addition to these new forms, WillMaker 8 has these additional new features: - Full Names List integration. Every name used in all WillMaker documents is now stored in the Names List. This allows you to easily change contact information through the "Edit Names List" command in the Edit menu. - Automatically inserting additional information. If you have already entered contact information for a person or organization, that information is automatically inserted into the relevant interview fields whenever you again enter that name in any document interview. This new feature means you won't need to reenter contact information each time you use the same name in a document. See User's Manual, Part 5D3, for more information on the Names List. - Save-for-Spouse feature. Some married couples may want to create "identical" wills. By this, we mean wills that differ only in that all instances of the names of the will writer and the spouse are reversed. WillMaker 8 allows you to easily do this. See the User's Manual, Appendix 4, for more information. - Larger window size. WillMaker's default window size is larger than it was in version 7. In addition, if you change the window size, WillMaker 8 remembers this setting the next time you open the program. - Guidebook in larger font. WillMaker 8 allows you to increase the font size in the Guidebook (i.e., the help that appears on the right-hand side of the screen). To do so, choose "Show Guidebook in a Larger Font" from the View menu. ************************************************************* IF YOU UPDATED TO WILLMAKER 8.1 USING A PATCH Important changes have been made to WillMaker's Legal Manual in WillMaker 8.1. Specifically, estate tax law information and information in Chapter 14, "Healthcare Directives," have been updated to reflect recent legal developments. If you are using WillMaker 8.1 to create a will or healthcare directive, refer to the Legal Manual contained in the help file (accessible through WillMaker's Help menu). This information has NOT been updated in the PDF version of the WillMaker 8's Legal Manual that was installed with some earlier versions of WillMaker 8. Of course, these changes are also NOT reflected in the hard copy of the WillMaker 8 Legal Manual. If you are using WillMaker 8.1 to create a will or healthcare directive, please refer to the Legal Manual contained in the help file (accessible through WillMaker's Help menu) rather than the hard copy WillMaker 8 Legal Manual. ************************************************************* READ YOUR DOCUMENTS CAREFULLY BEFORE YOU SIGN THEM It's your responsibility to make sure that the documents created with this program accurately reflect your wishes. Read your documents carefully BEFORE you sign them and make sure that you understand them. Please refer to the Legal Manual and the Guidebook for help. ************************************************************* CONVERTING WILLMAKER 6 WILLS TO WILLMAKER 8 FORMAT The WillMaker 8 will is far more complex than that in WillMaker 6. Although WillMaker 8 lets you convert a WillMaker 6 portfolio to WillMaker 8 format, it is possible that some of the information you entered in WillMaker 6 will not show up in your new WillMaker 8 will. To make sure that your will says exactly what you want it to, we strongly recommend that you create your will from scratch using WillMaker 8. However, if you do convert WillMaker 6 documents--especially your will--we urge you to carefully read them to make sure that they reflect your wishes. If they do not, use WillMaker 8's Review/Change feature to go back and make the necessary corrections. WillMaker 7 files can be read into WillMaker 8 without problems. Of course, you should read all documents thoroughly before signing them. For more on converting portfolio files created with older versions of WillMaker, see the User's Manual, Appendix 3. ************************************************************* PRINT OPTIONS Generally, you should not need to change any of the default formatting for your documents. The attorneys at Nolo have checked the documents using the standard "default" settings. Using these settings, we have verified that signature lines and witness lines appear as they are supposed to. If you change the font or point size from the default settings, it is up to you to verify that the signature page contains some language of the document, and that the witness lines all appear on the same page. To restore the default settings at any time, return to the WillMaker application window, choose Print Options from the File menu, and when the options dialog comes up, click on the "Use Defaults" button. ************************************************************* LONG NAMES MAY BE SPLIT INTO TWO NAMES IN THE NAMES LIST If you enter a very long name in a multi-line field, and the name wraps to a new line, the name will be split into TWO names. You must use names short enough so that they don't wrap. If you see a name wrapping to a second line, shorten it before you click on the "Next" button. ************************************************************* FILES IN THE PORTFOLIO BACKUPS FOLDER For your protection, WillMaker automatically creates backups of your portfolio file every time you work on it. These files are kept in a folder within the WillMaker 8 folder called "Portfolio Backups." ************************************************************* OPENING FILES IN THE PORTFOLIO BACKUPS FOLDER To protect you from inadvertently overwriting your backups, you will not be able to open a portfolio file while it's stored in the Portfolio Backups folder. If there's a problem with your "real" portfolio file and you therefore need to use the backup, you must first move it out of the Portfolio Backups folder and into the same folder as the WillMaker 8 executable file (WM8.EXE). ************************************************************* PRINTER INCOMPATIBILITIES Nolo has made every effort to ensure that WillMaker documents will print correctly regardless of the printer you use. Nonetheless, printer anomalies can occur. If you encounter any problems when printing your documents, you can "export" your document and print it from your word processor. Please contact Nolo technical support to report the problem so that we can investigate and fix the problem where possible. ************************************************************* PRINT PREVIEW IN LARGE FONTS To preview a document without having to scroll sideways, set the View of the Print Preview window to Normal (instead of Page View) when running in large fonts. ************************************************************* PALETTE PROBLEMS ON SPLASH SCREEN If you're running 256 colors and have Netscape Navigator or other programs open when you start WillMaker, the colors on the splash screen may not appear right. Don't worry about it. There's nothing wrong with the software. ************************************************************* RESIZING THE WM8 PROGRAM WINDOW UNDER WINDOWS XP If you run WillMaker under the Windows XP operating system, you may notice that some screen elements do not redraw correctly when you maximize the program window (or subsequently restore the window to its previous size after maximizing it). To correct this problem: 1. Right-click on the file WM8.EXE or any shortcut to that EXE file. 2. Select "Properties". 3. Click the Compatibility tab. 4. Check the box next to "Disable visual themes". 5. Click "OK". WillMaker should now maximize and restore correctly. <>