CBC's Market Place attacks the Canadian Legal Will Kit
Think twice about using a Do-It-Yourself Will Kit
July 10, 2001 -- On a show first broadcast last year,
the consumer affairs TV show 'Market Place' attacked a product called the Canadian
Legal Will Kit, and questioned the use of all Do-It-Yourself Will kits.
Having seen the $1 million advertising campaign on the Canadian
Legal Will Kit, a couple with a young child purchased two Will kits and a
Power of Attorney kit for $80. They thought that the kit was "easy to
follow, very straightforward… but it makes you wonder 'is it legit?' ".
To find out if the Will really was legitimate, Market Place
took the finished document to a lawyer specializing in estate planning and the
drafting of Wills. She noted that "What is not in here is more
important than what is in here" and went on to explain that the problem
with most kits is that they are too simple. The Canadian Legal Will Kit
did not give enough advice or warnings about potential problems. The Will
that was created was so basic that it was missing crucial information including
a survivability clause covering the event that both parents and their only child
all died at the same time (an unfortunately all too common occurrence when
families travel together).
The lawyer profiled in Market Place charges $600 to draft a
Will, claiming that this is more cost effective than paying the cost of
litigation arising from the absence of information in a poorly written Will.
PartingWishes.com is delighted that Market Place has
highlighted the inadequacy of most Do-It-Yourself Will kits. CEO Tim
Hewson agrees that the essence of a legal Will is little more than stating that
'I, John Doe, leave everything to my wife Mary' and having that statement signed
and witnessed. By providing this, and little else, a Do-It-Yourself Will
kit is able to offer a simple template for creating a legal Will, but it is very
likely to be contested in a court of law if other people are omitted, or if one
spouse does not survive the other.
The question-and-answer wizard employed by the
MyWill™
service at PartingWishes.com forces our members to think about all of the common
questions that form the basis of a comprehensive Will, including: making
alternate arrangements, specifying guardianship of minors, forgiving debts and
other important issues. With online help available at every step of the
way, a PartingWishes.com member not only creates a legal Will, but also
understands the issues and nuances involved in the Will making process. In
addition, the MyWill™ service offers members the option of having their Will
reviewed by one of their lawyers who can check each individual Will for
completeness and consistency. Something that is not available from a
Do-It-Yourself Will kit.
Of course, there will still be some instances where the
MyWill™ service at PartingWishes.com may not be appropriate. For
example, if an estate is extremely complex with property in many countries, or
if there is a desire to disinherit a spouse or child. For most people however, the
MyWill™ service will
be more than suitable, as it has been designed to handle all common individual
situations (single, married, widowed, divorced, same-sex relationships, with or without
children) and to
take into account the legal differences in all of the states and provinces in
North America. Nevertheless, after stepping through the
question-and-answer wizard, the member will know whether or not the Will
produced is acceptable for their particular situation. If the member feels
that their situation is more complex or unusual than the MyWill™ service can
handle, even after stepping through the MyWill™ question-and-answer wizard,
PartingWishes.com offers a 100% money back guarantee.
For an informative and eye-opening comparison of the
MyWill™
service to do-it-yourself legal will kits, read
about it here.
For More Information Contact:
PartingWishes.com
Email:
support@partingwishes.com
Internet:
http://www.partingwishes.com
