Have you ever wondered what would happen to your home and all of your belongings when you pass away? If you want your estate to be passed on to specific people in your life, you will need legal documentation to offer direction to those who are handling your estate—in other words, a Will.
Without a Will in place, you’ll have no control over what happens to your estate after you pass on. But with a Will drafted, you’ll have direct say in who gets what, rather than leaving it to the laws of your province to decide.
Lawyers have traditionally drafted Wills for Canadians, but these services can be expensive and cumbersome. Luckily, there is a quicker, easier, and more affordable way to have a Will created. Online platforms are now available to Canadians to quickly create a comprehensive Will within minutes, and Epilogue Wills is one of them.
Developed by two experienced estate lawyers, Epilogue Wills helps you create a legally binding Will that will protect your estate and your loved ones according to your wishes.
Let’s get into more detail about Epilogue to help you determine if this online estate planning solution is right for you.
What Does Epilogue Wills Offer?
Epilogue Wills offers Canadians an online platform upon which to quickly and easily create a Will. For those who have basic estate planning needs, there’s no need to make an in-person visit to a lawyer, nor are there any expensive bills to pay to have a Will drafted.
And since the company was developed by estate planning lawyers, you can rest assured knowing that the Will you create will be high quality.
The online Wills created by Epilogue are comprehensive and offer protection for your loved ones. But they’re not overly complicated, making them easy to create. The online platform offers guidance throughout the process so you can create your Will in as little as 20 minutes with no hassle.
Use code LOANSCANADA20 to receive $20 off the price of a Will.
How Much Will It Cost To Make A Will?
Epilogue offers two price packages.
Individuals:
- $139 for one Will.
- $199 for one Will plus Powers of Attorney.
Couples:
- $269 for two Wills.
- $329 for two Wills plus two sets of Powers of Attorney.
Pros And Cons Of Using Epilogue Wills vs. A Lawyer
Pros
- Professional Executor – With Epilogue Wills, you can choose a professional trust company (RBC Royal Trust) as your executor. This can be a great option for those who don’t want to burden their friends or family with the responsibility of being an executor.
- More affordable. The cost to have lawyers create a custom Will for you can be in the hundreds or even thousands of dollars. Instead, using Epilogue Wills to create a basic Will costs you less than $200 without compromising on quality.
- Simple pricing structure. Epilogue offers a simple price plan with no hidden fees. Choose from two different plans to meet your needs and budget.
- Quick and simple. Create your Will in as little as 20 minutes from the comfort of your home.
- Free changes. Things change in life, and when they do, you may want your Will to reflect that. Luckily, you can make changes to your Will whenever you want without being charged any fees to do so.
- Include your RESP. Epilogue is the only online estate planning solution that offers the option to include your RESP in your Will.
- Learning centre. Epilogue offers a library of tutorials that Will help educate you on the process of creating a Will and Powers of Attorney and what to do afterwards.
Cons
- Estate taxes can be tricky to deal with. It can be difficult to mitigate estate taxes when drafting up a Will if you do not work side by side with a lawyer to help.
- Not ideal for high net worth. If your assets are plentiful, you may want to consider having a Will drafted directly by your attorney.
- Not suitable for complex needs. More complicated arrangements can be more difficult to handle online. Epilogue asks specific questions to determine who would be best suited to speak to a lawyer and offers lawyer referrals in their area.
What Support Does Epilogue Wills Offer?
You can reach out to a customer representative in a few ways:
- By phone: 1-888-316-0921
- By email: help@epiloguewills.com
- By contact form on the website
- By live chat on the website
- By mail:
Epilogue
c/o The Legal Innovation Zone
10 Dundas Street East, Suite 1002
Toronto, ON M5B 2G9
Which Provinces Does Epilogue Wills Provide Its Services?
Epilogue Wills is currently available for residents of British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland & Labrador, and Prince Edward Island.
Overview Of Epilogue Wills Key Features
| Will Only | Will + Power of Attorney | |
| Cost | – $139 (individual) – $269 (couple) | – $199 (individual) – $329 (couple) |
| Features | -Create a custom Will -Include wishes for your funeral and burial – Affidavit of Execution (depending on province) – A promo code to get free registery with Canada Will Registry | -Everything in Will Only, plus: -Appoint a Power of Attorney to handle your finances if you become incapacitated -Name a person to make health care decisions for you if you’re unable to |
| Updates | Free, anytime | Free, anytime |
| Provinces offered in | BC, AB, SK, MA, ON, NB, NS, PEI, NFLD | BC, AB, SK, MA, ON, NS, PEI, NFLD, NB |
| Customer support | – Contact for – Telephone – Live chat | – Contact form – Telephone – Live chat |
Free Social Media Will
Epilogue also offers a free Social Media Will for those individuals who wish to protect their social media/ online presence after they have passed. To create a Social Media Will with Epilogue, all you need to do is answer their easy online questionnaire and a personalized document will be generated for you. This option is available all over the world.
Is Epilogue Wills Safe?
It’s understandable to have reservations about creating a Will online given the sensitive information that will be included in the document. But creating a Will via the internet with Epilogue is totally safe and secure. The platform incorporates encryption storage backed up in a Virtual Private Cloud with firewalls in data centres across Canada to protect your information.
Sessions are managed using the HTTPS protocol, and passwords are hashed using innovative bcrypt technology.
How Do You Create A Will With Epilogue Wills?
Create a Will with Epilogue Wills in only 20 minutes by following these steps:
- Go to epiloguewills.com and click ‘Start my Will’
- Answer a series of questions about you, your family, beneficiaries, executor, legal guardian, and so forth.
- Epilogue will automatically generate your Will.
- Make your payment.
While the process is rather quick, you can also choose to complete your Will over several sessions. Epilogue will save your progress so you can resume your project at a later time.
In order for your Will to be valid and legally binding, it must be printed and signed in the presence of two witnesses who are there with you at the same time (you can also opt to have Epilogue print and mail your Will for you for a small fee). The witnesses must also sign the document. Epilogue provides detailed signing instructions that are specific to each province.
Who Can Be An Executor For My Will?
You may appoint anyone as your executor for your Will, however, most people choose someone who is close to them. In general, this can be your spouse, child (adult), sibling or friend, even if they’re your beneficiary.
If you’d like, you can appoint 2 executors, however, be aware that they’ll need to agree on all decisions. Disagreements can lead to higher costs to your estate and delays to your beneficiaries.
Can I Use A Corporate Executor?
If you prefer to have a professional trust company as your executor, you can do so with Epilogue Wills. Epilogue Wills is the only online Will platform that offers this option.
They’ve partnered with RBC Royal Trust; one of the few companies that can act as an executor in Canada, to offer Canadians the ability to appoint a professional trust company as their executor online.
Is Epilogue Wills Right For You?
An online platform like Epilogue Wills can be perfect for those who are looking for a quick, easy, and affordable way to draft up a Will. If you have a simple estate, own property in Canada, have minor children or pets, and want to communicate your wishes on your funeral and burial, then a Will from Epilogue can help.
On the other hand, Epilogue may not be suitable if your estate is more complex, you have a high net worth, or you live outside of where Epilogue offers its solution. Epilogue asks specific questions during the process to quickly identify those who are better off seeing a lawyer and makes recommendations accordingly.
Final Thoughts
If you’re looking for a cost-effective way to have a Will created that does not require a visit to a lawyer’s office, then you may want to consider Epilogue Wills. As long as your estate is relatively straightforward and you reside in one of the provinces Epilogue offers its solution. Epilogue is the only online estate planning solution in Canada founded by lawyers and is a trustworthy way to create a legally binding Will that will protect your loved ones.
Epilogue does not provide legal or any other professional advice, such as accounting, or tax advice.
