Estate planning is an essential part of preparing for the future, but many Canadians put it off because of the perceived complexity and cost. That’s why we’ve made it our mission to simplify the process of creating an estate plan, making it accessible and affordable for everyone. Willful plans start as low as $99 for the Legal Essentials plan, or Canadians can choose the Premium Coverage plan including Powers of Attorney documents and asset lists for $189. Visit our pricing page for more about Willful plans.
But creating your will and estate plan documents is just the first step. Keeping your documents up to date is just as important. That’s why we’ve created Willful Membership.
In this article, we'll explore the benefits of signing up for Willful Membership, which costs only $19 per year and includes a range of valuable features. We'll also compare the cost of using Willful versus a traditional lawyer, and explain why we believe every Canadian should have a Willful Membership.
What is Willful Membership?
Willful Membership is an annual plan that helps you maintain an up-to-date estate plan. With Membership you get unlimited, easy updates anytime, a free annual estate plan reminder and checkup, one Canada Will Registry Code to register updated documents (a $40 value), and on-demand consultation with our estate planning experts. For just $19 per year, you can save at least $1,500 on updates compared to visiting a lawyer.
Why is Willful Membership important?
Our mission is to give Canadians peace of mind by making estate planning easy and accessible. One in eight Canadians has an out-of-date will. Life changes, and your estate plan should reflect your current situation. Willful Membership helps achieve that mission by providing a smarter, easier, and more affordable way to keep your estate plan up-to-date.
Why keep an up-to-date will?
Keeping an updated will is crucial to estate planning. With Willful Membership, you can ensure that your will reflects your wishes and is updated as your life changes. An outdated will may lead to assets ending up with someone you're no longer associated with, such as a former spouse or common-law partner. Other big life changes, like having a baby or buying a house, are important moments to revisit your will. Willful Membership gives you the flexibility to keep your will up-to-date by making easy updates, anytime, from the comfort of your own home.
What has changed with Willful Membership?
When you create a will with Willful, you still get access to the features that are most important, such as choosing the right plan for you, enjoying a seamless online experience designed with experienced estate lawyers from your province, and receiving customized legal documents that represent your wishes.
All Willful plans now also include a 90-day free Membership trial. During this trial, you can make unlimited free updates to your documents. Once your 90-day trial expires, you'll need a Willful Membership to continue making updates. We’ll send you an email reminder as you get close to the end of your free trial, so you can decide if you want to continue with Membership for $19 per year.
What are the benefits of Willful Membership?
Willful Membership provides you with a cost-effective way to create and maintain your estate plan. Here are some of the benefits of Willful Membership:
Annual estate plan reminder and checkup
As part of Membership, you'll receive an annual reminder to check in on your estate plan. Our online Estate Plan Checkup™ will guide you through a series of questions to ensure that your estate plan reflects your needs and wishes.
On-demand consultation with estate planning experts
If you have any questions or issues, our team of estate planning experts is available to help you. You can reach out to them through chat, email, or phone appointment, and they will be happy to answer your questions. All of our experts hold a Certificate in Estate and Trust Administration (CETA) issued by STEP, a global industry association that sets professional standards and educates estate planning professionals.
Easy, unlimited updates, anytime
Your life circumstances can change, and so should your estate plan. With Willful Membership, you can make as many updates as you want, whenever you want. You can update your documents from the comfort of your home, and there's no need to schedule appointments with a lawyer or pay extra fees for each update.
One (1) Canada Will Registry code to register updated documents
When you update your documents, it's important to register them with Canada's leading national will registry service. Willful Membership includes one free registration per year, which is a $40 value.
What does Willful Membership cost compared to a lawyer?
Willful Membership can save you a lot of money compared to using a lawyer. Here are some of the ways that Willful can save you money:
Affordable pricing
Willful offers significantly lower upfront costs for creating wills and powers of attorney documents. With a one-time cost starting at just $99 for a will, you can save hundreds compared to traditional lawyer fees, which can cost as much as $1,000 or more. Visit our pricing page to explore Willful plans.
Family savings
If you choose the Premium Coverage for Families plan, you can save 13% for each family member you add. This makes it even more cost-effective for families looking to protect their loved ones.
Easy, unlimited updates
Traditional lawyers typically charge an hourly rate for each update, which can add up to thousands of dollars over the years. With Willful Membership, you can make unlimited updates for only $19 per year. Other alternatives, such as online DIY will kits, also require that you purchase a new template or kit every time you need to make an update. These costs can add up over time.
Your time is money
By creating and updating your documents online, you can save time and money. You don't need to schedule appointments with a lawyer or travel to their office, which can be time-consuming and costly.
More valuable features
Willful offers additional features such as asset lists and funeral and burial plans. These features are not typically offered by traditional lawyers, and when they are, they come at an additional cost.
Has anything else at Willful changed?
The prices of Willful plans are not changing. If you purchased your will before May 1, you will still receive free, unlimited updates. Consider it our thank you for being among our first customers.
Need more information?
If you still have questions about Willful Membership, visit our Support Centre to see answers to commonly asked questions.
Willful Membership is an affordable and flexible way to make sure that your estate plan is up-to-date and reflects your current needs and wishes. By signing up for Willful Membership, you can enjoy peace of mind and expert support, while saving time and money.
If you already have a Willful will, log in to opt-in to Willful Membership in your Account section.
If you haven’t created your Willful will yet, sign up and get a free 90-day Membership trial. It only takes 20 minutes, from start to finish.
