Originally published: January 12, 2017 | Last updated: March 12, 2025
TL;DR: Writing a Will should be your top priority this year. You are never too young, your estate is never too small, and the process takes only 20 minutes at $49.95. Without a Will, your family faces legal chaos, frozen assets, and court-decided custody of your children. A complete estate plan also includes digital asset documentation and a Living Will.
Each year people add Will creation to their New Year goals yet most fail to complete this task. More than 65% of Canadian adults have not updated their Will which stands as one of the most common delayed financial responsibilities people face. The process of writing a Will requires just twenty minutes to complete yet it creates permanent family benefits which gym memberships and diet plans cannot offer. The present circumstances require us to make this year distinct from all previous years.
Every year, “write a Will” appears on New Year’s resolution lists, and every year, most people fail to follow through. Over 65% of Canadian adults do not have an up-to-date Will, making this one of the most universally procrastinated tasks in personal finance. Unlike gym memberships or diet plans, writing a Will takes only 20 minutes and has permanent, life-changing benefits for your family. Here are the reasons why this year should be different.
Are You Too Young to Need a Will?
No. Accidents and unexpected illnesses can happen at any age. If you are over 18, own anything of value, have a partner, or have children, you need a Will. Young adults often have more reason to write a Will than they realize, they may have student debt that affects their estate, digital assets worth protecting, or a common-law partner who has no automatic inheritance rights without a Will. The best time to write a Will is when you are young and healthy, not when you are facing a health crisis.
No. People of all ages face the possibility of experiencing sudden accidents or developing unexpected medical conditions. If you are over 18, own anything of value, have a partner, or have children, you need a Will. Young adults need to create Wills because their situations demand it more than they understand since they carry student loans which impact their inheritance and they possess digital content that requires protection and their common-law spouse needs legal protection for inheritance purposes. The best time to write a Will is when you are young and healthy, not when you are facing a health crisis.
Dying without a Will (intestate) creates six serious consequences: your family has no instructions, no one is authorized to manage your estate, your assets are frozen, the government decides who gets what, charities receive nothing, and no guardian is designated for your children. These are not abstract risks, they affect real families every day. The entire process of writing a Will exists to prevent these outcomes.
What Happens If You Die Without a Will?
Not anymore. While lawyers charge $500 to $1,500+, online services like LegalWills.ca offer legally valid, province-specific Wills for $49.95. The legal validity is identical. The process takes about 20 minutes; faster than most New Year’s resolutions take to fail. You can also update your Will anytime through your account at no additional cost during your subscription.
Dying without a Will (intestate) creates six serious consequences: your family has no instructions, no one is authorized to manage your estate, your assets are frozen, the government decides who gets what, charities receive nothing, and no guardian is designated for your children. These threats exist as actual risks which create harm to families during each day. The entire process of writing a Will exists to prevent these outcomes.
Many people underestimate the size of their estate. Beyond obvious assets like property and savings, consider: life insurance payable to your estate, employer pension and death benefits, vehicles, personal belongings with sentimental or financial value, tax refunds owing, and digital assets (cryptocurrency, online accounts with financial value, domain names). When you add it all up, even a “small” estate can be worth tens of thousands of dollars; more than enough to create disputes and legal complications without a Will.
Is Writing a Will Expensive?
Modern estate planning must account for your digital footprint. Social media accounts, email, cloud storage, online banking, streaming subscriptions, and cryptocurrency all need a plan. LegalWills.ca’s LifeLocker feature lets you catalogue your digital assets securely so your executor can find and manage them.
Not anymore. While lawyers charge $500 to $1,500+, online services like LegalWills.ca offer legally valid, province-specific Wills for $49.95. The legal validity is identical. The process takes about 20 minutes; faster than most New Year’s resolutions take to fail. You can also update your Will anytime through your account at no additional cost during your subscription.
- Last Will and Testament: Names your executor, beneficiaries, guardians for children, and distributes your estate.
- Power of Attorney: Designates someone to manage your finances if you become incapacitated.
- Living Will: Records your healthcare preferences for situations where you cannot communicate.
- Digital asset plan: Catalogues your online accounts and credentials using LifeLocker.
- Keyholders: Notifies trusted people about where to find your documents.
Stop procrastinating. This is the year you protect your family. Start with our step-by-step guide and have your Will done in 20 minutes. For motivation, read about why people avoid writing Wills, and why none of those reasons hold up.
Tim Hewson is one of the founders of LegalWills.ca.
He has over 20 years of experience helping people to write their Will and other estate planning documents. He has been interviewed by many of the major news media outlets including CTV, Global News, The Toronto Star, and other leading Canadian publications. He has also contributed to a number of financial planning books.
Throughout his career, Tim has written extensively on the subject of Will writing and estate planning.
