This is a review of LegalWills, the most popular Canadian Online Will provider.
A Will is a legal document that sets out who will inherit a deceased person’s estate, such as the properties and other priced personal items.
Traditionally, you need a lawyer to prepare a Will. But there are now several options available to Canadians to prepare a legal Will online from the comfort of their homes.
In this post, we’ll start by explaining why you need a Will and the options available for getting one. Then we’ll review LegalWills.ca, its offerings, cost, support and how you can get 20% off the fees.
Get an Online Legal Will at LegalWills.ca
Why do you need a Legal Will?
It is important to have a legal Will. Dying without a will, called dying intestate, has serious consequences you may not know about.
If you die without a Will, the government will likely get involved in administering your assets, especially if you have kids that are minor. And depending on your province, your assets may not be shared according to your wish.
For example, in some provinces only married spouses are automatically granted a claim to your assets if you die. This may be an issue if you have a partner, but you’re not married.
But even without kids and a partner, having someone that can legally manage your affairs after you’re gone is very important.
This is because it may take months before a court will appoint someone to take care of your affairs.
Unfortunately, about 51 percent of Canadians have no Will in place according to a 2018 poll by Angus Reid.
Options for Getting a Legal Will
In general, you have 3 options for getting or writing your Will
- Blank form in a DIY Will Kit
- Services of a Lawyer
- Online Will writing service like Legal Wills Canada
Using a blank sheet from a Will kit is the cheapest, but it can lead to errors and not advisable especially if you’ve not had any legal training. There are simply too many areas to consider and you don’t want to leave out anything important.
Lawyers have traditionally prepared Wills and other estate planning documents. You get the best legal advice and direction in writing your Will, but at a high cost.
Usually, you’ll need to book an appointment with the lawyer and meet a number of times depending on how complicated your situation is.
Going with this option may cost up to $1,000, or more. And you repeat the process each time you need to update your Will.
With Online Will writing services, you get the benefit of writing your Will online from the comfort of your home; guided through the process and at a fraction of what you’ll pay to a lawyer.
The process is both interactive and cost-effective. And it is completely legal to get a Will online.
About legalwills.ca
LegalWills.ca makes it easier for people to write their Will.
LegalWills is an Ontario-based Canadian online estate planning service. It is a pioneer in the space, and the most popular online Will writing service in Canada.
It was founded in 2000, so it has been around for 20 years decades, and had enough time to perfect its offerings and streamline the process of getting a legal Will.
In addition to Canada, it is also available in USA and U.K.
Some of its features include:
- Free Unlimited changes for one year
- 30-day money-back guarantee
- Document Printing Service for a small fee
- Option to have a Lawyer review your completed Will
For an additional fee, you can also get a Power of Attorney and Living Will through legalwills.ca. These 2 documents, along with a Will, make up a complete Estate Plan in Canada.
A Living Will is a legal document that states a person’s wish about the type of medical treatments they want or don’t want in the event that they become incapacitated by illness.
Basically, it gives you a say in how you want to be treated medically.
A Power of Attorney is a document that gives another person or party the authority to act on your behalf. The person may have the authority to make decisions about your finances and property.
How much does a Will cost at LegalWills.ca?
The price of a single last Will costs $39.95 and comes with unlimited updates for one year. If you want other optional services, you can also get them for an added fee as listed below.
Power of Attorney – $29.95
LegalWills Power of Attorney costs $29.95. As mentioned earlier, you can use a power of attorney to appoint someone you trust to act on your behalf if you’re incapacitated and unable to make decisions about your finances.
Living Will – $19.95
A Living Will or Power of Attorney for Health Care ensures your wishes are followed when it comes to your medical care or treatments.
Mirror Wills – $63.92
Mirror Wills are identical Wills written by partners, naming each other as the main beneficiary. LegalWills has a 40% discount on a second Will so your spouse will pay $23.97 rather than $39.95, for a total of $63.92.
Document Printing Service – $9.95
Your printed documents are mailed to you for signing and storage in a safe place.
Life Locker – $29.95
The MyLifeLocker service allows you to list your assets and store your important documents and information, such as contacts, account details, contacts, password.
They’ll be made available to your Executor when you pass. This makes it easier and faster for your Executor to get an inventory of your all belongings.
Expatriate Will – $39.95
This is for those with assets in USA and UK.
Lawyer Review – $69
If you have a complicated situation, you can get your document reviewed by a LegalWills lawyer for a small fee.
Funeral Wishes – Free
You can get 20% off the fees by using this Legalwills coupon code: WALLET20 or clicking the link below.
Get 20% off your LegalWills Fees
How to write a Will with LegalWills.ca
Getting started with LegalWills is fast and easy.
You can have the legal Will completed and ready to be signed in 20 minutes, but you can also save your progress and come back to it later if you need more time to think about your plan.
Here’s how to prepare a Will on LegalWills.
- Create an account on LegalWills.ca
- Complete all the details
Provide your personal details, how you want to share your assets, Executors and so on. The platform will take you through the process step-by-step.
- Print and Sign
Once you’re done, print out the documents and sign. The document must be signed in the presence of two witness.
Note: A beneficiary under your Will, or their spouse, can not be a witness.
Then save your completed Will in a safe and secure location and remember to update it periodically.
Do you need a lawyer for an online legal will?
No. A Will written through an Online service is as legally binding as anyone written by a Lawyer, In fact, LegalWills.ca says it uses similar software to what lawyers use to prepare your will.
They both have the same legal standing.
You may even decide to use a holographic Will, a type of Will that is written entirely in your handwriting.
Witnesses aren’t required but it’s best to avoid this option to prevent legal challenges to the Will when you’re gone.
But you should know that a Will prepared online is not legally binding until you print it out and sign it, along with two other witnesses. Digital signatures are not legally binding.
This is the same process for a Will prepared by a lawyer too, though the Ontario Government is temporarily allowing lawyers to witness the signing of Wills remotely due to the State of Emergency put in place because of Covid-19.
Alberta is also allowing remote signing and witnessing of wills until 2022.
And British Columbia has introduced a Bill that will allow remote witnessing of Wills permanently.
Is LegalWills secure and safe?
LegalWills has been serving Canadians for two decades.
It is both safe and secure. This is an important consideration since you’ll be sharing many personal details and your credit card on the platform. All your information is stored and protected using state-of-the-art encryption, and your credit card details are not stored.
Limitations of Legalwills.ca
It is not ideal for people with a complicated legal situation. If you’re in these group, it’s best to consult a lawyer that can prepare a Will with custom clauses that address your unique situation.
LegalWills was not available for Quebec residents but this changed in August 2020. The site is only available in English at the moment, and the french version will be launched in late 2020.
LegalWills.ca AIR MILES® Offers
You can also earn some miles through the Legalwills.ca and AIR Miles partnership. The base offer is currently 1 mile for every $10 spent, up to a maximum of 20 miles.
There could also be bonus offers depending on when you make your purchase. The miles are awarded based on the total spent on qualifying transactions and will be deposited within 60 days.
Support
If you need any legal advice, LegalWills cannot help you with that. However, you have several options to get help for other questions about using the platform and the different services they offer.
You may be able to find answers to many general questions through their Customer Support Portal.
Also, you can send an email to [email protected] and you’ll usually get a reply within 30 minutes. Or call their toll-free number 1-888-660-9455 (8am to 8pm EST)
It has a 4.9/5 rating from over 900 reviews on Google, with many reviewers commenting on their responsiveness, professionalism, and ease of creating a Will. And they also have a Better Business Bureau (BBB) Rating of A+.
LegalWills Alternatives
There are other players in the online Wills service space in Canada. All of them provides an easy way to get a legal Will done online.
Willful and Epilogue Wills are 2 strong contenders to LegalWills though they are relatively new companies.
LegalWills beats both of them in terms of pricing with a basic Will starting at $99 at Willful for example. However, both Willful and Epilogue Wills have a more modern and intuitive interface.
In addition, they provide unlimited free updates to your Will – a service than LegalWills charges $11.95 for.
Ultimately, the best online Wills in Canada will come down to your specific needs.
Learn more about how LegalWills compares to Willful in this LegalWills vs Willful comparison.
Some FAQs on LegalWills.ca Review
A Last Will starts at $39.95, but you can get optional services like Power of Attorney, Living Will and so on for an extra fee.
Anyone can be the witness to your Will, as long as they are not a beneficiary to the Will. That means, you can use a neighbor, friend, colleague and so on.
LegalWills is available in all provinces and territories, with services for Quebec announced in August 2020. It is also available in USA and UK.
No, there is no requirement to use a Lawyer or Notary public to prepare your Last Will and Testament.
Your assets would be distributed in line with the laws and rules of your province. And this may not be how you would want your assets shared.
Final Thoughts on LegalWills.ca Reviews
Like Life Insurance , getting a Will is a way to ensure to your loved ones are protected when you’re gone.
And with the ease and convenience provided through LegalWills.ca online will writing service, you don’t have an excuse not to get one.
You can have your legal Will completed and ready to be signed in as little as twenty minutes. So take action today to protect your loved ones, and ensure your assets are shared according to your wish.
Get 20% off by using this LegalWills.ca discount code: WALLET20
LegalWills Canada Review
Summary
LegalWills is Canada’s most popular and most comprehensive online service for writing a Will. You can complete a legal will in under 20 minutes, starting at $39.95 and a 30-day money back guarantee.
Thank you for this comprehensive review regarding online wills. Very informative and re-assuring.