Willful is one of Canada’s best online legal will platforms.
If you have not yet created a last will and testament that addresses how you want your estate assets to be distributed after you die, it’s a good time today as any to put one in place.
I get it. No one likes to ponder their own mortality, which is probably a big part of why most Canadian adults do not have a will.
Another reason for the lacklustre statistics when it comes to writing wills could be the perceived difficulties of the process and expensive lawyer (legal) fees.
This is where a company like Willful comes into play. They simplify the will-making process so you can create a will from the comfort of your home at a reasonable cost.
Willful Review Summary
Willful Review [year]
Overall
Summary
Willful makes it easy to create a legal will online in Canada for cheap. If you are skeptical about online wills and whether they are legally binding in Canada, you can rest easy. The will you create online using Willful is legit, even if it costs you several hundred dollars less than what a lawyer will charge you.
Read this Willful review to learn how to create a legal will in less than 20 minutes and for less than $100, plus take advantage of our special 15% discount (this is up to $49.35 off – no promo code is required).
Pros
- Available in many provinces
- Low-cost Wills compared to a lawyer
- Unlimited updates for 90 days
Cons
- Not the cheapest Will kit
- Updates after the first 90 days requires an annual subscription for $19
What is Willful?
Willful is a fintech company that offers legal online wills in Canada. The company was founded in 2017 by Kevin Oulds and is based in Toronto.
Willful’s online will templates are put together by lawyers with decades of Estate Law experience backing them up.
From only operating in Ontario, Willful has grown and now offers its services in several provinces, including Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Nova Scotia, Quebec, New Brunswick, and British Columbia.
How To Create a Legal Will With Willful
Willful eliminates the stress that often comes with writing a will.
Although there is no rush for you to complete the process in one sitting, Willful makes it possible to create your legal will online in 15-20 minutes.
To get started:
- Visit Willful and click on the “Start for Free” button.
- Enter your basic information and choose a plan that meets your needs.
- Complete your last will and testament, and identify your beneficiaries, executor, and guardians for your children.
- Depending on your plan, you can also make arrangements for medical emergencies and choose your Power of Attorney.
- If you are married or in a common-law relationship, you and your spouse (or partner) can purchase a family plan.
- Print and sign your will before storing it securely.
- Your Willful account allows unlimited free changes to your will for the first 90 days. After this, you can pay $19 annually to make updates.
How Much Does a Willful Will Cost?
From store-sold will kits costing a couple of bucks to up to a thousand dollars or more when you use a lawyer, the cost of a will can vary across Canada.
When you create a will using Willful, you can save anywhere from $200 to $850 in fees compared to visiting a lawyer.
Willful offers three main plans.
1. Legal Essentials Plan ($99)
This plan covers what you need to prepare your last will and testament. You decide how your assets are distributed among your beneficiaries, name your executor, and choose guardians for your kids.
All Willful plans offer:
- Free registration of your legal will with Canada Will Registry (a $40 value)
- Phone, email, and chat support
2. Premium Coverage Plan ($189)
In addition to the options available in the essential plan, you can choose a power of attorney for your finances and property and plan for medical emergencies.
The premium plan includes your:
- Last will and testament
- Power of attorney for emergency (finance and property)
- Power of attorney for healthcare (living will)
- Notification to key people named in your will
3. Premium Coverage for Families Plan ($329)
Buy a Will plan for two adults (e.g. a couple) with an option to add up to 6 people to your plan.
Each Premium Coverage for Families Plan offers all the options in the legal essential and premium coverage plans, including:
- Last will and testament
- Power of attorney for finance and property
- Power of attorney for healthcare (living will)
- Notification to key people named in your will
While the pricing is already competitive as is, Willful is offering our readers an extra 15% off here (no promo code is required).
On the Premium Coverage for Families Plan, this promo code saves you $49.35.
Willful (Online Wills) vs. Lawyer vs. Will Kits
Online wills like Willful and Legalwills offer a middle point between using basic will kits you can purchase anywhere and visiting a lawyer.
DIY will kits or the ones you purchase off the shelf are often very generic and do not take specific provincial legislation into consideration. Since you are left to figure out things on your own, there is a high chance of errors that may render the entire will invalid.
Online wills are affordable and provide guidance on the necessary steps to create a legal will. You can reach out to customer support online or by phone, which is very convenient.
If your estate is complex, sitting down with a lawyer may be preferable. Although it will cost you a lot more, it can save your beneficiaries a lot of stress when you pass. An example of a complex estate is when you own assets abroad or have complex trust arrangements.
Is Willful Safe?
When you store your private information online, you want to be sure that:
- The company holding your data is legitimate.
- Your data is secure.
Willful uses AES-256 encryption to protect your data. They also note in their terms of service that your information is used in accordance with the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA).
Willful Promo Code
Creating a will is important and ensures you have the last word.
Similar to how you budget and plan your finances on a daily, monthly and annual basis, a well-written will is a crucial part of your overall financial planning and strategy.
Willful makes it easy to create your will in 20 minutes or less.
For even further savings on their low fees, visit Willful using the link below to get an extra 15% off (save up to $49.35).
What is a Will?
A will is a legal document that expresses your final wishes and how you want your property to be disposed of.
Also referred to as your “last will and testament,” a will gives you control over how your estate is disbursed instead of leaving it to the discretion of your beneficiaries or the state.
If you die without a will, you are said to have died “intestate” and your estate has to go through probate and be distributed according to provincial laws.
The different types of wills you can utilize are:
A. Attested Will: This is also referred to as a “formal” will and is the most common type of will. An attested will must be signed by you (the testator) in front of two witnesses. A Willful will is an attested or formal will.
B. Notarial Will: This is similar to an attested will and is available only in Quebec. It is signed by you, the notary, and one witness.
C. Holographic Will: This is a will written by hand and dated and signed by you. No witnesses are required, which may leave the will open to legal challenges.
Willful Alternatives in Canada
In addition to Willful, you can use online Will platforms like LegalWills and Epilogue.
LegalWills
Operating since 2000
Offer various types of Wills
Create a legal Will from $39.95
20% discount with SAVVY20
Related:
Awesome content. I come here daily looking for article I have not read yet. Very important that it is Canadian specific. Great work, Enoch.
@Anson: Thanks for your feedback. Appreciate it!
Great post! Hadn’t heard of Willful before but will check it out. Thanks
@LCAH: Thanks for stopping by!
Very complete review
@Dave: Thanks for your feedback!
Finally a Fintech company to do wills. The estate planning suggestions are great.
Eugene
@Eugene: Awesome – thanks for your feedback!
This is a great review Enoch where you have covered everything one needs to know about wills and the review about Willfull is very thoroughly done. I do enjoy reading your reviews.
@Manish: Glad to hear. Thanks for your feedback!
So if I read this correctly, I can create a personal will for $79 using your promo code, then do the same for my wife for another $79? That is actually cheaper then what I paid for a one-and-done (no revisions) DIY will kit about 10 years ago. This is a great post Enoch, thank you!
@Loran: Yes, you are reading it correctly. It’s way cheaper than many of the other options out there! Cheers.
Not only save money it save time sitting listing to a lawyer, very informal post and thanks for your hard work and time to keep us informed!!
@Salem: You are welcome. Have a great week!
Thanks for a great post Enoch! I might actually try them out for my significant other and myself
@Max: Glad to hear. Thanks for stopping by!
Thanks for the great info, very important to me that the information is canadian, look forward to emails.
@Joyce: You are very welcome!
Hi Enoch. Useful review for creating your own Will.
Increasing numbers of persons living in Canada tend to have property outside Canada and may want to establish separate will for that part of their Estate in another jurisdiction. Its a more complex issue to create two or more Wills to address assets in different jurisdictions. Probably hard to do using software because would depend on which combination of jurisdictions. You might want to consider setting out the basics for this issue in one of your newsletters. Regards
@Peter: Good points. I do agree that not all wills can be easily covered in an online will kit like this one. People with complicated financial situations, assets abroad, or varying beneficiaries may find that this will does not meet all their needs.
Thanks for your feedback!
Seems like a very simple and painless way to create a will.
@Betty: Yes it is. Glad you found this to be useful!
Thanks for the info.! Please enter me in your contest.
@Joy: Thanks for participating!
First time commenting… been reading for a couple months. Picked up some helpful tips. Thanks and keep ’em coming.
@Colin: Will sure do. Cheers!
Great review, I m so glad I read your blog about online will I was just looking for that
@Serge: Glad you found this useful!
Clear, concise and helpful review of Willful, its 3 available options, their distinctions and exceptions to their use.all the essential info is available here.
Love your articles. Many thanks for your generosity in making them available.
@Heather: Thanks for your feedback. Happy to hear you find my blogs useful!
Why do I need to pay anyone at all? Why can’t I just write a will, sign and date it, have it witnessed, and then lock it away in a safe place? I get it that Willful is cheaper than a lawyer, but what exactly am I getting from Willful that is worth what I’m paying them? Why do I need a “will writing” company in the first place?
@Sam: You can definitely write your own Will in Canada. Online DIY kits help you to cover some of the things you may miss if you decide to write a holographic will. For example, if your provinces has specific requirements to make a Will legal, you will find those clearly pointed out in a good Will kit. Will kits cover how to ensure your Will is witnessed properly, use the appropriate legal terms, and may be easier to update.
Looks good. Question – Is an Affidavit by witnesses to the signing of a will required to obtain Probate?
@Melody: Having witnesses (at least one of them) sign an Affidavit of Execution can help expedite the probate process if for instance the witness is no longer alive at the time or is nowhere to be found.
What would be best option for a couple?
@Carlos: Willful’s family option appears to be the best for couples from the packages they offer.
Is it possible to name my 3 adult children as executors and/or powers of attorney?
I would think one of the main benefits of a will solution like this is being able to change the will without contacting and paying the huge expense of a lawyer. We all change our minds, people die, other people may be more deserving, things always change. I would think the important aspects of doing it yourself is covering all the bases beginning with good witnesses (younger people that probably don’t die before you!), a safe will location protected by fire and theft (if you already have a Safety Deposit Box at your bank that could be a good choice as its in your name and probably safer than anything you could devise in your home) and will registration so your people can actually locate the will.
If the people in your will are morally sane you might want to think joint ownership to eliminate probate entirely. As long as they probably will not plan for your early demise by encouraging you to try “adventure sports” like skydiving, solo rock climbing and wilderness survival that is. Or you could insinuate they are in your will getting everything and see if their attitude towards you changes! That could be under “Will Inheritors Test Kit”!