Coquitlam Wills Lawyer: Why you Should NOT Consider an Online or Virtual Will.
TRI-CITY LEGAL does not treat a Will like a slice of Pepperoni as opposed to online and virtual services.
When it comes to wills, complexity dictates costs.
In short, you get what you pay for. Wills are relatively affordable. Depending on their complexity, a Will may cost someone anywhere from $400 to $2,000, among other prices. When it comes to Wills, complexity dictates costs. If, for example, you have:
multiple properties;
a company with shares;
various pieces of jewelry;
RRSPs (along with different bank accounts); and
multiple children,
then, needless to say, your Will is complex.
Wills are not akin to pizza or fast-food chains, where coupons or “2-for-1” deals should equate to discounts.
Online and/or virtual Will services have been popping up for some time and are treating legal documents like they are slices of pizza: they are being proffered for $250 each; or $400 for two Wills; or most apt, 2-for-1 deals. Wills are not akin to pizza or fast-food chains, where coupons should equate to discounts.
Wills are significant.
Wills are legal instruments, that should be taken seriously, with crippling legal ramifications. If a Will was not important, then the entire field of “wills variation law”, otherwise referred to as “wills & estate litigation”, would not exist. If you do not know what “wills & estate litigation” entails, neither does the online Wills service.
Things You Need to Know about Your Will that Online/Virtual Services Overlook:
Who has witnessed the execution of the Will?
What title did the witnesses hold (e.g. lawyer)?
Were witnesses, beneficiaries?
Did you create the Will with your executor and/or beneficiary present?
Were you influenced by a beneficiary in determining how the estate is bequeathed?
Was there any beneficiary in a position of dominance over you? Are you aware of the significance of “dominance”?
Were you dependent on a potential beneficiary? Are you aware of the significance of “dependence”?
Have you allocated each piece of personal property to a beneficiary? How about real property? Are you aware of the differences between personal property and real property?
Has your estate been investigated to ensure all things (e.g. RRSPs, bank accounts, shares, etc), are accounted for?
Have you ensured every child is provided with adequate, just, and equitable provisions? Are you aware of the significance of “adequate, just, and equitable provisions”?
Have you ensured that your children will be cared for in the event of your untimely passing and/or who will care for them?
Have you considered who will be the trustee in the event of your untimely passing?
Have you been advised about your other important Estate Planning needs?
These questions are but a small list of concerns, questions, and issues that online/virtual services are unable to legally advise on.
Pay lawyers a minimum now, so your kids can avoid having to pay a maximum later.
As noted, you get what you pay for. Online and virtual services may be cheap now but will potentially force your beneficiaries and those you disinherited to incur costs once you have passed away. Unfortunately, and typically, these costs are taken out of your estate and paid to lawyers.
We do not treat a Will like a slice of Pepperoni as opposed to online and virtual services.
If you need a Will, we are experts in drafting them and are an affordable, cost-effective option. More so, we practice in Wills & Estates Litigation and therefore are fully aware of potentially catastrophic (even a comedy of) errors that are made in Wills- particularly, by those non-lawyer companies that treat Wills like a slice of pepperoni.
Please feel free to fill-out the below form for a free, no-obligation discussion with TRI-CITY LEGAL: