Where is the best place for Canadians to create a will online? While it may not be the conversation you most want to have, planning for your death and what comes after it, is a critical step that all Canadian adults need to take. According to RBC Wealth Management, less than half of us have a last will and testament, so don't be a statistic. You may not have your will at the forefront of your mind, but leaving the courts and legislation to decide the fate of your estate isn't something you really want either.
Subpar
With the ultimate goal of supporting thousands of families each year, ClearEstate uses state-of-the-art technology and offers wills with lawyer-prepared clauses. Started in 2020, their service is available in Ontario, Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, Quebec, and Saskatchewan.
More than wills here
ClearEstate offers wills on their website but emphasizes that an estate plan is more than just a will, which it calls "the tip of the iceberg." They provide probate & estate settlement, estate planning, and executor service, in addition to their online will service. They declare they are the only Canadian company who provides this type of comprehensive support for all stages of the process. If you're just desiring an online will, you will have to do a little searching to find that option.
Speedy but comparatively expensive process found here
Boasting that users can make a legal last will and testament on their website in just minutes, ClearEstate provides unlimited edits and access to a secure digital vault when you choose their service. However, their product is one of the most expensive we've seen. Not being a law firm, they can't provide legal advice, making us wonder why you would pay so much more than necessary for their product.
Will making process is easy to follow
To create your online will at ClearEstate, you'll be guided through simple questions about your situation and preferences. After finding out who you are, they offer a quick tour of their digital vault included in the plan. This may be skipped by clicking out, if desired. The terms are clearly stated in easy-to-understand language that you have to accept to continue. Personal information, including spouse or partner, children, and pets comes first, with a chance to review and edit prior to moving on to the next section. We appreciate the offer but it does slow down the process by adding another step in between each section - and this does happen after each one. Next comes appointments, then distribution of gifts, followed by funeral pre-arrangements and finalizing the will. You don't get a final chance to review all of the answers in one place, so make sure you do it as you complete the interview. When you confirm you're finished, to receive a copy of your will you must pay for your plan. Download and print it, then sign, witness, and execute the document to make it valid. While they boast that these legal documents are created in minutes instead of days, all of the services we've reviewed do similarly.
Fees that truly add up
Payment is required when you want to access your document. A will made at ClearEstate costs $249 plus $19 per year. The will package includes two services which they label as exclusive: unlimited access to their digital vault for storing important relevant documents as well as access to their accounting module to build your personal inventory. The package offers unlimited editing of the documents and power of attorney documents for health and finances. While they list other items here, it's really just the parts of the will as bullet points, attempting to make it appear that you're getting more for your money. The need to pay $19 per year on top of the initial cost is what has us wondering why anyone would choose this over one of the other basic online will-making services. If you want to cancel your plan, you'll have access until the next billing cycle date, losing access to all documents and information in your portal once cancelled. On the other hand, if you keep this active for the next twenty to fifty years, depending on your age, the cost will add up.
Upgrade to get support
As mentioned ClearEstate is more than an online will service and they continue to offer their estate planning services, even as you're making your online will. However, their basic estate plan for an individual starts at $595 plus the annual $19 fee and only adds chat assistance and portal access as benefits. We're not sure their online chatting is worth more than double the cost of doing the online will ourselves.
Securing your information
Using a variety of industry-standard technologies and services, ClearEstate is committed to keeping your data secure. They are hosted on Google Cloud Platform, using the safeguards in place by Google. Also they say their digital vault is SOC2 type 2 certified with the highest security standards. All data is AES-256 bit encrypted in transit and at rest through Google Cloud Platform.
Free tools available to all
With numerous checklists, calculators, and other tools offered for estate planning, ClearEstate can help with portfolio estate planning, calculating probate fees, assessing risk, and more. A free checklist for estate planning or probate is offered for those who provide an email address and phone number.
Excellent reputation with some cause for concern
ClearEstate is not accredited by the BBB, and they don't have a rating for their listing in Texas. We were unable to find a Canada-based listing for the company. On Trustpilot, they have an excellent reputation, garnering 4.6 out of 5 stars from nearly 400 reviews, though they are all about using their pricey estate planning and probate services. On Yelp they have received nine negative reviews warning against their services, ranting about wasted time, errors on paperwork, lack of communication, and other headaches. We couldn't find any reviews about their will service, but since that's not their primary focus, we're not surprised. As such, it's hard to make a decision just based on reputation with ClearEstate. We'd like to see them have a solid rating from the BBB and more reviews before earning our recommendation.
Choose a better option
For those looking to create a simple online will, ClearEstate is a pricey option. Questions about their reputation also have us placing them at the bottom of our list of online will platforms in Canada. We strongly suggest looking at the higher-ranked (and often free) options in our review.
Continued from above...
While it may not be the conversation you most want to have, planning for your death and what comes after it, is a critical step that all Canadian adults need to take. According to RBC Wealth Management, less than half of us have a last will and testament, so don't be a statistic. You may not have your will at the forefront of your mind, but leaving the courts and legislation to decide the fate of your estate isn't something you really want either.
Even those who are single without children should consider making a will so their hard-earned assets don't end up with the government instead of a friend or relative. Though it seems like this is a difficult process and only for those with significant assets, wills are important for all adults, providing peace of mind so that your final wishes are heard.
A common misconception is that you need a lawyer to create a will, or at least a notary public. However, it truly just needs to be a written document signed in the presence of witnesses who aren't beneficiaries. This makes things much easier - and potentially much more affordable - for people to create their last will and testament. While lawyers are helpful in preparing such documents, their services are not a legal requirement to crafting a will. The rise of online will services has made obtaining a legal will even easier for those without legal knowledge. If your wishes are straightforward, this process is significantly cheaper - even free, perhaps - and faster than using a law firm.
To create your online will, it's recommended that you gather details about family members and be prepared to make decisions about who you trust to appoint as executor of your estate (manage your affairs) or guardian to your minor children or pets. Then think about how you want to distribute your assets (who gets what after you pass). That's the basics. These online services will guide you through the questions, most allowing you to pause and save your work so you can return as you gather what you need or make decisions. If you're afraid of missing something, don't worry - these platforms are designed to ask all of the questions so you don't have to be an expert. Some of them will even offer explanations along the way so you're not lost in a sea of legal jargon.
Online wills can be made for a fraction of the cost of seeing an estate lawyer, an unnecessary step for most simple wills anyway. The convenience of creating the will at home, at work, or on the go cannot be overlooked since you don't have to waste time making an appointment, dealing with traffic, waiting for the professional to see you, and other time-consuming details. The time involved in the online will-making process is significantly shorter as well, just taking minutes to complete the questionnaire and be ready to download and sign. You could even do it on your lunch break. The simplicity involved in the online will process means no adult has a valid excuse for being without a will.
There are many factors to consider when comparing online will creation services in Canada. Here are the top ones on our list:
Creating a will doesn't have to be a burden any longer. At Top Consumer Reviews, we have done the work for you, looking at the best Canadian will creation services to assist you in making a choice for directing your final wishes so you can get on with the business of living.
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