Last will and testament

[LUDELVR]

I remember seeing something posted before but can't seem to find it anymore. As morbid as it is, it was also inevitable and the Mrs. and I are now looking into wills. Is there any benefit to going with a lawyer or is this something that can be done on one's own?

[ExtraSlow]

If you have kids, I've been told that it's worth getting it looked over by a lawyer and possibly getting thier future guardian to sign something.

[LUDELVR]

Anyone know any lawyers? Also, what does it cost to go with a lawyer?

[Tik-Tok]

Anyone know any lawyers? Also, what does it cost to go with a lawyer?

A co-worker just got it done through a lawyer and it was $3g. I have no idea if that's normal or not, but seemed a little much to me.

[blueToy]

We got ours done about 4 years ago and I think it was 6-700. Our lawyer has since retired so can't help you there. That said, I think if you own any property or have family, wills should be a must. My BIL's father past away two years ago without a will. It took over 6 months and 7 thousand dollars to lawyers to get his probate settled. Big big hassle and stressful time, especially as they were trying to deal with his passing.

[CompletelyNumb]

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[bignerd]

I remember seeing something posted before but can't seem to find it anymore. As morbid as it is, it was also inevitable and the Mrs. and I are now looking into wills. Is there any benefit to going with a lawyer or is this something that can be done on one's own?

Nothing to tear a family apart like a death and fighting over the will/assets. You may say your family would never do this, but you would be surprised-this usually increases substantially with step children, ex spouses etc etc. (Both my parents are gone and both left no will so I personally know how expensive the lawyers can be to clean up the resulting mess. I have also experienced people dying with an unofficial will and have watched those wishes be changed and NOT followed). If something is really important to you as far as how your last wishes are to be dealt with, or you want someone to have some particular piece of furniture/jewelry/car/whatever, please be sure to be detailed and state this in your will.

As I have recently just had a child of my own, I will be having a lawyer prepare my will. EVERYONE SHOULD HAVE A WILL. Seriously, please save your loved ones the stress, trouble, money and heartbreak of dealing with something like this.

[speedog]

A co-worker just got it done through a lawyer and it was $3g. I have no idea if that's normal or not, but seemed a little much to me.

$3,000 sounds quite steep, our wills certainly didn't cost anywhere near that amount but having one is a must once you start accumulating wealth/assets - my uncle who passed away a while back (whose situation I've discussed elsewhere on beyond) had no will that we could find and it's only because his sister (my mother) started a claim to his estate before he had actually passed away that the estate was passed on to her and her other surviving brother. If my uncle had passed away before this had been done, there was a very real chance that the government would've stepped in and taken everything as my uncle had never married and had had no children.

I have seen this exact scenario play out int he past as a coworker of mine at TELUS passed away several years after he retired from TELUS - he never had had any kids and because no will was ever found, the government took all of his assets which was easily over a million dollars - he had been married twice but had divorced both women through the courts with settlements being reached and neither ex-wife could make any claim to his estate.

In short, get a will made - it is but a minor pittance to pay in exchange for the grief it may stop or reduce. If you have children, the guardianship of them is so very important to have in your will as well.

[LUDELVR]

Everyone is absolutely correct and we do want to have a will for the very reasons you guys have stated. I have heard people say as little as 200 dollars but I just spoke to my friend who does corporate law and he said expect to pay around 6-700 per guardian. So that's 1200-1400 dollars which to me seems quite dear!

In any case, it breaks down to this. My bother, sister and father are still around and on my wife's side, we have her parents and sister who has her own family and 2 kids. They are located in Halifax, are my kid's godparents and if something should happen to us, our son would be taken care of by them. As for our estate and possessions, they would all go to my son and my family is aware of that. How detailed does this have to be in a will? Is there a chance that let's say my family does choose to contest anything, do they have legal grounds to fight for our assets or do they automatically go to our son?

Again, we are going to get a will but I'm looking at options. I was also told that I could get a will kit and this would work out as well given our circumstances are not that complicated revolving around family here in Calgary.

[craigcd]

Most lawyers who do this on a regular basis will send out a information package to bring to them or send to them in advance which breaks down your wishes. They may do this in person also, however the 2 I spoke with asked for information before hand to speed up the process I assume(reduce cost).

If the will is drafted by a lawyer I believe the chances of someone successfully contesting the will are a lot lower than if you complete a DIY will kit. Anything can be contested but involving a lawyer will likely make the information within it stronger is my reasoning.

[killramos]

Aren’t will kits drafted by lawyers?

Sounds like a whole lot of wasted money and scare tactics to me, people can contest whatever the fuck they want at the end of the day.

Just have something and don’t die in probate and you are better off than 90% of the population.

If people want to argue about my shit after I die that is literally not my problem.

[craigcd]

Aren’t will kits drafted by lawyers?

Sounds like a whole lot of wasted money and scare tactics to me, people can contest whatever the fuck they want at the end of the day.

Just have something and don’t die in probate and you are better off than 90% of the population.

If people want to argue about my shit after I die that is literally not my problem.

Do you have kids?