More People Should Be Like Steve! "The late Apple tycoon Steve Jobs was a meticulous planner, not only when managing his billion-dollar company, but also with his personal estate planning. Although a private individual, Jobs was known to have been thorough and particular in taking care of his loved ones and ensuring his wishes would be carried out.“ – estate/last-wills/5-reasons-you-shouldnt-put

Where There’s a Will… A surprising amount of Canadians don't have a legal will. Yet every adult, whether they are young or old, wealthy or not, should have one. Why? It's quite simple. Without a will, a legal document that tells the world how you want your assets distributed after your death, there is no guarantee that your wishes will be followed when you die. A Legal Will is an essential document for protecting your family now and in the future, and it can save your loved ones needless frustration and legal costs!

Market Research A recent survey of Canadian adults revealed that more than half of them (56%) do not have a Will, including a shocking 92% of adults under age 35 and 44% of baby boomers (ages 45-64). The survey also found that men and women have different reasons for not creating a Legal Will. More than one-third of men feel they simply don’t need a Will (39%) whereas one in four women blame cost (26%) as the primary reason they do not have a Will. Regardless of the reason, Canadians with children, property and assets need a basic legal Will in place. Other results from the estate planning survey include:

Market Opportunity “It's clear that people who haven't made a will come up with all sorts of excuses why not - it always seems to be something that can be put off to another day.” - AA Legal Services The situation is particularly prevalent among younger people. Only one in six people between the ages of 18 and 34 have a will. As people get older, they are more likely to have a will. The majority of people 55 and older have a will. Only one in three African American adults (32%) and one in four Hispanic American adults (26%) have wills, compared to more than half (52%) of white American adults. The number of Canadians lacking a will has been remarkably consistent since LawPro began measuring the prevalence of wills in 2001.

Misconceptions About Wills Research indicates that a third of those avoiding writing a will blame the cost and complexity of doing so, or express concern about involving a lawyer. “A will is the most critical, but often neglected part of a sound estate plan. What’s surprising is that the rewards from preparing a will are many, and tremendously valuable.” So why do so many people put it off? Lack of public education. The general public is misinformed about the costs involved with wills and the need to involve a lawyer. Wills are a solid cash grab for law firms and notary publics. They like to maintain the common perception that legal services are required to write a legal will. It’s simply not true! In an effort to raise awareness about do-it-yourself wills products, April has been declared national “Make a Will Month.”

Easy to Use Products When lawyers draft wills, they usually start with a standard form that contains the same types of clauses contained in most do-it- yourself wills. Most attorneys put their standard will form into a computer and have a secretary type in the client's information. Our do-it-yourself will kits are straight forward. If you know what you own, whom you care about, and you take a little time to follow the step by step instructions, you should be fine. While difficult to measure, we estimate that 15%-20% of customers who bought a wills kit from us, re-purchase the product years later because they either need to update their will, the laws have changed, the format is out of date, or they simply never got around to completing it and lost the original product.