Why Every Canadian Needs a Will: The Foundation of Estate Planning
What You Will Learn
- What happens if you die without a will, including how provincial law dictates the distribution of your assets and care for your children.
- The key components of a will, such as appointing an executor, naming guardians for minor children, and directing your asset distribution.
- How modern online tools make creating a legally-binding will an affordable and straightforward process that can be completed in under 20 minutes.
- Learn how you can create a legally binding will in minutes through our partnership with Epilogue Wills.
- Estimated Reading Time: 9 – 12 minutes
Why Every Canadian Needs a Will: The Foundation of Estate Planning
Here’s a sobering statistic: more than half of Canadians don’t have a will. That means millions of people are leaving their families to navigate one of life’s most difficult processes without any guidance whatsoever. It’s like giving someone directions to your house but forgetting to mention which city you live in. Creating a will isn’t just about dividing up your possessions—it’s about maintaining control over your legacy, protecting your family from unnecessary stress, and ensuring your values and wishes guide important decisions even when you can’t speak for yourself. When combined with comprehensive funeral preplanning, a properly prepared will creates a complete foundation that allows your family to focus on grieving and healing rather than guessing and arguing.What Happens When You Don’t Have a Will
Let’s start with the reality of dying “intestate”—the legal term for passing away without a will. When this happens, you essentially hand over all decision-making power to the government. Provincial laws, not your preferences, determine how your assets are distributed, who manages your affairs, and even who cares for your minor children. The Government Becomes Your Executor Without a will, the court must appoint someone to handle your affairs—and it might not be who you would have chosen. This process can take months, during which your family has limited access to your assets, even for basic expenses. Your Assets Follow Legal Formulas, Not Your Wishes Provincial intestacy laws use rigid formulas to distribute assets. In Ontario, for example, if you’re married with children, your spouse gets the first $350,000, then splits the remainder with your children. Sounds reasonable? Maybe not if you intended everything to go to your spouse, or if you wanted to leave something special to a close friend who helped care for you. Family Conflict Becomes Inevitable Without clear written instructions, family members often disagree about what you “would have wanted.” These disputes can tear families apart permanently, turning grief into ongoing legal battles.Real Stories: The Difference a Will Makes
Sarah’s Peace of Mind Sarah, a single mother from Vancouver, put off making a will for years. “I kept thinking I didn’t have enough assets to worry about,” she explains. “But then I realized it wasn’t about the money—it was about my daughter.” When Sarah finally created her will through Epilogue Wills, she discovered the process was surprisingly straightforward. “I completed the whole process in just over 10 minutes and am so glad we stopped procrastinating and completed our wills so that in the case of unforeseen circumstances our wishes are known,” she shared, echoing what many Canadians discover about modern will-creation tools. Sarah’s will now clearly designates who would care for her daughter, how her assets should be managed for her child’s benefit, and even includes instructions about maintaining family traditions that matter to her. David and Helen’s Simple Solution David and Helen, a retired couple from Halifax, had been putting off updating their wills for over a decade. “We’d been meaning to do it for months and just couldn’t seem to find the time,” Helen admits. When they discovered they could create comprehensive, legally-binding wills online, everything changed. “We found epilogue online, and it got amazing reviews and better yet we could do it in the comfort of our own home and on our time,” Helen explains. The couple particularly appreciated that they could update their wills as their circumstances changed, something that would have cost hundreds of dollars with traditional lawyer visits. Michael’s Family Protection Michael, a father of three from Toronto, realized he needed a will after a close friend died unexpectedly. “Watching his family struggle with decisions while they were grieving really opened my eyes,” Michael says. The process turned out to be much simpler than Michael expected. “I was really impressed at how fast and convenient it was. I filled it out on my phone in less than 20 minutes. They do a good job laying everything out in clear, simple terms,” he discovered, completing his family’s estate planning during his lunch break.What Goes Into a Proper Will
Asset Distribution Your will specifies who receives what from your estate. This includes not just major assets like your home or investments, but also personal items with sentimental value—your grandmother’s jewelry, your vinyl record collection, or your workshop tools. Guardian Designation If you have minor children, your will names who should care for them if both parents pass away. Without this designation, the court decides based on legal criteria that might not align with your preferences or family dynamics. Executor Appointment Your will names the person responsible for carrying out your wishes. This person handles everything from paying final bills to distributing assets according to your instructions. Choose someone you trust who can handle administrative responsibilities during emotional times. Special Instructions Wills can include specific guidance about caring for pets, handling business interests, or managing unique assets. You can also include personal messages or explanations about your decisions that help family members understand your reasoning.
The Modern Solution: Online Will Creation
Creating a will used to mean expensive lawyer consultations, complex legal jargon, and intimidating processes that discouraged many people from completing this essential task. Today’s technology has transformed will creation into something accessible, affordable, and straightforward.
Kinship has partnered with Epilogue Wills because they’ve revolutionized estate planning for Canadian families. Epilogue creates legally-binding wills in just 20 minutes and offers features that traditional law firms struggle to match:
Guided Process Without Legal Jargon Instead of wrestling with complex legal language, you answer simple questions about your family, assets, and preferences. The platform translates your answers into proper legal language automatically.
Unlimited Updates at No Extra Cost Life changes, and your will should change with it. Whether you get married, have children, move provinces, or acquire new assets, you can update your will as often as needed without additional fees.
Professional Quality at Accessible Prices Epilogue was created in collaboration with RBC Royal Trust, ensuring professional-quality documents backed by trusted financial institutions.
Integration with Your Complete End-of-Life Plan
A will works best when it’s part of comprehensive end-of-life planning. While your will handles asset distribution and family care decisions, other elements of your plan ensure your wishes are honored throughout the entire process.
Funeral Preplanning Coordination When you’ve preplanned and prefunded your funeral arrangements with Kinship, your will can reference these plans, ensuring seamless coordination between your estate management and final arrangements. Your executor knows exactly what arrangements have been made and paid for, eliminating confusion and potential family disagreements about appropriate services.
Financial Harmony Preplanned funeral arrangements remove major expenses from your estate settlement process. Instead of your family making emotional decisions about funeral costs while managing estate distribution, they can focus on honoring your memory according to your predetermined wishes.
Reduced Family Burden When both your will and funeral arrangements are properly planned and funded, your family faces significantly less stress during their grieving period. They have clear instructions for both immediate needs (funeral arrangements) and longer-term matters (estate distribution).
Common Will Misconceptions
“I Don’t Have Enough Assets” Your will isn’t just about money. It covers guardianship for children, care instructions for pets, distribution of sentimental items, and personal messages to family members. Even modest estates benefit enormously from clear written instructions.
“It’s Too Complicated” Modern will creation tools have eliminated most complexity. “The platform is extremely intuitive and straightforward anyone can do it,” as one Canadian father discovered. Most people complete their wills in under 30 minutes.
“I’m Too Young” Life is unpredictable, and responsible adults of any age benefit from having wills. Young parents, in particular, need wills to designate guardianship for their children and ensure their families are protected.
“I Can Just Tell My Family What I Want” Verbal instructions have no legal weight and often lead to family disputes when memories differ. Written wills provide clear, legally-enforceable guidance that protects both your wishes and family relationships.
Taking Action: Your Will and Beyond
Creating a will represents the foundation of responsible estate planning, but it’s most effective when combined with other thoughtful preparations. Consider how your will coordinates with:
- Preplanned and prefunded funeral arrangements
- Healthcare directives and advance care planning
- Beneficiary designations on insurance policies and retirement accounts
- Powers of attorney for financial and healthcare decisions
Getting Started Today
The hardest part of creating a will is often just beginning the process. Thanks to modern tools like those offered through Kinship’s partnership with Epilogue Wills, you can complete this essential task quickly, affordably, and from the comfort of your home.
“I put off getting my Will done for years because the thought of trying to find a Lawyer, and pay a crazy amount of money was so discouraging,” shared one Canadian who finally completed her will online. “It took us 10 mins, and was such a peace of mind.”
Your family deserves the clarity and protection that comes from proper estate planning. When you combine a comprehensive will with preplanned funeral arrangements, you create complete peace of mind for both yourself and your loved ones.
Ready to create the foundation of your estate plan? Through Kinship’s partnership with Epilogue Wills, you can create a legally-binding will in minutes, ensuring your wishes are clearly documented and your family is protected. Combined with preplanned funeral arrangements, a proper will provides comprehensive protection for everything your family will need during difficult times.
