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A free Will is often not really free in the long run. While DIY and free online Wills can reduce upfront costs, mistakes or omissions can lead to much greater expense, delay, and stress for your family when your estate is administered.
Free Will services are increasingly common, from online templates and Will kits to charity-sponsored Wills. A quick and inexpensive solution is obviously appealing, and these options may suit some people. However, these services do not always account for your individual circumstances or ensure that your wishes can be carried out effectively. A mistake or omission can make an otherwise inexpensive Will far more costly and complicated for your family later on.
Having a well-prepared Will is one of the most important things you can do for your family. It is your way of communicating your wishes and making sure you get to choose what happens to your assets, rather than leaving it to the default rules of the law.
The law sets out specific requirements for a valid Will. These requirements need to be carefully followed so that when the time comes, your executor (the person you appoint to manage your estate) can successfully obtain probate of your Will from the High Court. If those requirements are not met, the process can become much more complicated.
Among the various free or inexpensive Will options now available, charity-sponsored Will programmes deserve particular consideration because they have an additional objective beyond simply preparing your Will.
Charity-sponsored Will programmes are offered for a purpose. They are generally designed to encourage people to leave a gift to the sponsoring charity in their Will. You may not be required to make a donation, but attracting charitable bequests is an important reason these programmes exist.
That creates a question worth asking: is the service primarily focused on helping you create the best possible Will for your circumstances, or on securing a future gift for the charity?
A Will’s core purpose is to appoint the right executor, deal effectively with all your assets, provide appropriately for the people who matter to you and ensure your wishes can be carried out after your death. Achieving that may require careful consideration of your family relationships, property ownership, trusts, relationship property arrangements, overseas assets and potential claims against your estate.
When you meet with a lawyer to prepare your Will, they are not simply filling in the blanks of a template. They will take the time to understand your personal circumstances and consider how your assets, family relationships and existing legal arrangements may affect your estate planning. They will ask questions about your situation and help you understand any obligations you may have to particular family members. Your estate planning lawyer will then apply their knowledge and experience to help ensure your wishes can be carried out in practice.
A basic or restricted free service may not include the same depth of advice or review. Before using one, ask:
Leaving money to a charity can certainly be a meaningful and worthwhile choice. But it should be your informed choice, made only after your family circumstances and estate-planning needs have been properly considered. The fact that a Will is free should not distract from the more important question: will it actually do the job you and your family need it to do?
A free Will can often be missing important elements or contain critical errors. An executor may not have been properly appointed, assets may not be adequately dealt with, or beneficiary details may be incorrect. The Will itself might have been signed incorrectly, or it might not be kept in good condition if it is simply stored in a drawer at home.
These issues can cause delays in obtaining probate, increase administration costs and create additional stress for the family members responsible for administering your estate. With serious errors, it may mean your family needs to apply for Letters of Administration instead, which is a more costly and time-consuming process.
Even where a Will is technically valid, it may still fail to achieve the outcome you intended if it does not properly reflect your circumstances or accurately deal with the way your assets are owned.
While well intentioned, free Will services can inadvertently create problems for your family after you have passed away. What may be a free or inexpensive document at the outset can end up costing your estate much more, along with additional time and stress for your loved ones.
Book a time to meet with one of our estate planning lawyers. We can help you understand your options, identify any issues that may affect your estate, and put in place a Will that reflects your wishes and works for your family.
The true measure of a Will is not what it costs to prepare. It is whether it provides certainty, protects your assets for those you love, and does the job you need it to do when the time comes.
A free Will is often not really free in the long run. While DIY and free online Wills can reduce upfront costs, mistakes or omissions can lead to much greater expense, delay, and stress for your family when your estate is administered.
Free Will services are increasingly common, from online templates and Will kits to charity-sponsored Wills. A quick and inexpensive solution is obviously appealing, and these options may suit some people. However, these services do not always account for your individual circumstances or ensure that your wishes can be carried out effectively. A mistake or omission can make an otherwise inexpensive Will far more costly and complicated for your family later on.
Having a well-prepared Will is one of the most important things you can do for your family. It is your way of communicating your wishes and making sure you get to choose what happens to your assets, rather than leaving it to the default rules of the law.
The law sets out specific requirements for a valid Will. These requirements need to be carefully followed so that when the time comes, your executor (the person you appoint to manage your estate) can successfully obtain probate of your Will from the High Court. If those requirements are not met, the process can become much more complicated.
Among the various free or inexpensive Will options now available, charity-sponsored Will programmes deserve particular consideration because they have an additional objective beyond simply preparing your Will.
Charity-sponsored Will programmes are offered for a purpose. They are generally designed to encourage people to leave a gift to the sponsoring charity in their Will. You may not be required to make a donation, but attracting charitable bequests is an important reason these programmes exist.
That creates a question worth asking: is the service primarily focused on helping you create the best possible Will for your circumstances, or on securing a future gift for the charity?
A Will’s core purpose is to appoint the right executor, deal effectively with all your assets, provide appropriately for the people who matter to you and ensure your wishes can be carried out after your death. Achieving that may require careful consideration of your family relationships, property ownership, trusts, relationship property arrangements, overseas assets and potential claims against your estate.
When you meet with a lawyer to prepare your Will, they are not simply filling in the blanks of a template. They will take the time to understand your personal circumstances and consider how your assets, family relationships and existing legal arrangements may affect your estate planning. They will ask questions about your situation and help you understand any obligations you may have to particular family members. Your estate planning lawyer will then apply their knowledge and experience to help ensure your wishes can be carried out in practice.
A basic or restricted free service may not include the same depth of advice or review. Before using one, ask:
Leaving money to a charity can certainly be a meaningful and worthwhile choice. But it should be your informed choice, made only after your family circumstances and estate-planning needs have been properly considered. The fact that a Will is free should not distract from the more important question: will it actually do the job you and your family need it to do?
A free Will can often be missing important elements or contain critical errors. An executor may not have been properly appointed, assets may not be adequately dealt with, or beneficiary details may be incorrect. The Will itself might have been signed incorrectly, or it might not be kept in good condition if it is simply stored in a drawer at home.
These issues can cause delays in obtaining probate, increase administration costs and create additional stress for the family members responsible for administering your estate. With serious errors, it may mean your family needs to apply for Letters of Administration instead, which is a more costly and time-consuming process.
Even where a Will is technically valid, it may still fail to achieve the outcome you intended if it does not properly reflect your circumstances or accurately deal with the way your assets are owned.
While well intentioned, free Will services can inadvertently create problems for your family after you have passed away. What may be a free or inexpensive document at the outset can end up costing your estate much more, along with additional time and stress for your loved ones.
Book a time to meet with one of our estate planning lawyers. We can help you understand your options, identify any issues that may affect your estate, and put in place a Will that reflects your wishes and works for your family.
The true measure of a Will is not what it costs to prepare. It is whether it provides certainty, protects your assets for those you love, and does the job you need it to do when the time comes.
