CBC's Market Place attacks the Canadian Legal Will Kit
Think twice about using a Do-It-Yourself Will Kit
July 10, 2001 -- On a show first broadcast last year, the consumer affairs
TV show 'Market Place' attacked a product called the Canadian Legal Will Kit,
and questioned the use of all Do-It-Yourself Will kits.
Having seen the $1 million advertising campaign on the Canadian Legal Will
Kit, a couple with a young child purchased two Will kits and a Power of Attorney
kit for $80. They thought that the kit was "easy to follow, very straightforward…
but it makes you wonder 'is it legit?' ".
To find out if the Will really was legitimate, Market Place took the finished
document to a lawyer specializing in estate planning and the drafting of Wills.
She noted that "What is not in here is more important than what is in here" and
went on to explain that the problem with most kits is that they are too simple.
The Canadian Legal Will Kit did not give enough advice or warnings about
potential problems. The Will that was created was so basic that it was missing
crucial information including a survivability clause covering the event that both
parents and their only child all died at the same time (an unfortunately all too
common occurrence when families travel together).
The lawyer profiled in Market Place charges $600 to draft a Will, claiming that
this is more cost effective than paying the cost of litigation arising from the
absence of information in a poorly written Will.
LegalWills.ca is delighted that Market Place has highlighted the inadequacy
of most Do-It-Yourself Will kits. CEO Tim Hewson agrees that the essence of
a legal Will is little more than stating that 'I, John Doe, leave everything to
my wife Mary' and having that statement signed and witnessed. By providing
this, and little else, a Do-It-Yourself Will kit is able to offer a simple template
for creating a legal Will, but it is very likely to be contested in a court of law
if other people are omitted, or if one spouse does not survive the other.
The question-and-answer wizard employed by the MyWill™
service at LegalWills.ca forces our members to think about all of the common
questions that form the basis of a comprehensive Will, including: making alternate
arrangements, specifying guardianship of minors, forgiving debts and other important
issues. With online help available at every step of the way, a LegalWills.ca
member not only creates a legal Will, but also understands the issues and nuances
involved in the Will making process. In addition, the
MyWill™ service offers members the option of having their
Will reviewed by a legal professional who can check each individual Will for completeness
and consistency. Something that is not available from a Do-It-Yourself Will
kit.
Of course, there will still be some instances where the MyWill™ service at LegalWills.ca may not be appropriate. For example,
if an estate is extremely complex with property in many countries, or if there is
a desire to disinherit a spouse or child. For most people however, the LegalWills.ca
MyWill™ service will be more than suitable, as it has
been designed to handle all common individual situations (single, married, widowed,
divorced, same-sex relationships, with or without children) and to take into account
the legal differences in all of the states and provinces in North America.
Nevertheless, after stepping through the question-and-answer wizard, the member
will know whether or not the Will produced is acceptable for their particular situation.
If the member feels that their situation is more complex or unusual than the
MyWill™ service can handle, even after stepping through
the MyWill™ question-and-answer wizard, LegalWills.ca
offers a 100% money back guarantee.
If you would like more information about the MyWill™
service or about any of the other services available at LegalWills.ca, visit
https://www.legalwills.ca.
For an informative and eye-opening comparison of the MyWill™ service to do-it-yourself
legal will kits, read about it here.
Create your Will, Power of Attorney and Living Will online at
https://www.legalwills.ca/.
For More Information Contact:
LegalWills.ca
Email:
[email protected]
Internet:
https://www.legalwills.ca/