This online will kit deliberately restricts your choices, and that's a good thing

Technology is changing the landscape for some clients who want to make wills. I've recently read an article about an automated online will-making tool that has been developed by a couple of lawyers in Ontario. They came up with this idea because, they say, people do not want to spend $1,500 to $2,500 to have a lawyer make one for them. I have to comment at this point that Ontario prices are obviously higher than prices elsewhere. For comparison, check out my posted prices for wills!

I am not generally in favour of people making their own wills, whether online or by hand, simply because people may not understand the way the law applies to them, or may not know what options are open to them. However, this particular tool has been developed differently, and I like their approach. They do not allow people using the tool to make many decisions. The tool creates a will that leaves everything to the spouse and if the spouse has predeceased, then among the children.

In other words, you could not use this will-making tool if you wanted to leave out one of your children, if you have a blended family, if you want to set up a trust for a disabled person, if you want to leave your cabin to one of your sons, or anything else that is even slightly out of the ordinary.  This is a good thing because when you are trying to deal with these situations, you should have legal advice, and you should have someone on your side who is experienced with the wording of trusts and wills.

In other words, this tool is useful for those in a certain situation. It's always good to have a variety of choices when it comes to buying any product or service, including having a will made. As long as the specific tool is not used by those who could be harmed by it, then it's valuable and beneficial, and it seems to me that the developers have made sure it cannot be used by the wrong customers.

I haven't seen or tested the will-making tool for myself. I've formed my opinion based on a detailed article from Law Times about the creators of this tool and their product. To read the article for yourself, click here.