Free and Cheap Wills discussion area

AngelOfTheNorth

Wombat21 wrote: »

If you have little money to leave, no house, wife, children etc. Would it not be OK to write your own will from a template?

Depends. Do you know what you're doing? Are your requirements very straightforward?

Candiceisme

estateplanner wrote: »

Hello everyone. I've been a 'bystander' on this forum for a very long time, and as a Principal of an IFA, mortgage, insurance and estate planning Firm, I've often laughed, cried, seethed and even shouted at the screen at some of the forums, statements, questions and (on occasion) the blatant ignorance of so called 'expert' advice.

However the FREE (!) Will issue is serious, and with approx 17,000 Wills chucked out of Court every year for not being valid (including many drawn up by solicitors), my comment / post here is to simply add a word of warning before anyone thinks that a free Will is a good idea.

If you have already made your Will, did your solicitor or Will Writer (it doesn't have to be drawn up by a solicitor of course) take the time to visit your nominated Executors, Guardians and Attorneys too, in order to properly ensure that they know their duties, roles and legal obligations?

This one act is where the 'free' service falls down and can end up costing the people left behind with mounting legal bills of thousands of pounds to rectify.

Was the estate properly 'equalised' to ensure that IHT is minimised or eradicated? Again, a free will provider is unlikely to take the trouble to properly explain that a simple change in the land registry could also potentiall save thousands (if not hundreds of thousands) of pounds in IHT for some estates.

What about the fact that the spousal transfer for IHT exemption is not automatic? The right to obtain the transfer is automatic, but the actual transfer is not Was that explained.

I could go on.

If all that is important is a free will and 'blow the consequences', then that's everyone's choice.

My 'free' advice here is quite simply, make sure your will writer is professional, comprehensive and works (free or otherwise) for you.

G'bye.[/QUOT

Having been in the Will Writing industry for many years.. You can be sure that there is no such thing as a Free Will! Wills are offered free of charge in order to firstly attract business and ultimately add on charges depending on the circumstances.. and/or to gain the business of dealing with the Probate, which can be very expensive.. When people make a Will which they believe to be free.. they often overlook the small print whereby the company or organisation who are actually writing the Will have assigned themselves as your Executors.. consequently they are building a Will Bank ( storing the Wills) which could accumulate to be worth millions.. therefore building a very valuable business.. Even if they do not assign themselves as the Executors..Just by holding your Will in storage will still be a valuable asset for them when they have their company valued.. When people retrieve a Will at a very difficult time, they are not always able or wanting to take the Will elsewhere to get a better quote for Probate... My advice to anyone looking to make a Will, is to choose very carefully and be aware that there is no such thing as a genuine Free Will.. there is always an ulterior motive, nobody likes working for Free!

Candiceisme

Having been in the Will Writing industry for many years.. You can be sure that there is no such thing as a Free Will! Wills are offered free of charge in order to firstly attract business and ultimately add on charges depending on the circumstances.. and/or to gain the business of dealing with the Probate, which can be very expensive.. When people make a Will which they believe to be free.. they often overlook the small print whereby the company or organisation who are actually writing the Will have assigned themselves as your Executors.. consequently they are building a Will Bank ( storing the Wills) which could accumulate to be worth millions.. therefore building a very valuable business.. Even if they do not assign themselves as the Executors..Just by holding your Will in storage will still be a valuable asset for them when they have their company valued.. When people retrieve a Will at a very difficult time, they are not always able or wanting to take the Will elsewhere to get a better quote for Probate... My advice to anyone looking to make a Will, is to choose very carefully and be aware that there is no such thing as a genuine Free Will.. there is always an ulterior motive, nobody likes working for Free!

Happygreen

Good morning,

I'm jumping in on this thread - I just signed my first will yesterday with the local solicitor who is part of Will Aid. We did have our initial appointment last October but it was very difficult to find the whereabouts for OH's grown-up children. After signing the solicitor asked me to settle the donation of a suggested £ 150 minimum for a joint will. I felt like I had no chance to contest the sum and then it was to be made out to the firm rather than to a charity. I feel utterly ripped off tbh but I do not have the nerve to argue with a solicitor....

Errata

£75 for a will drawn uo by a solicitor sounds like a bargain, not a ripoff.

SeniorSam

£150 for joint wills does not seem excessive when considerably more is often charged by the majority of solicitors. You may wish to advise Gift Aid of your contribution.

Mojisola

Happygreen wrote: »

it was to be made out to the firm rather than to a charity.

I would ask them to confirm that the money you paid was going to the charity concerned. If you pay tax and had signed the gift aid form, the charity would have benefited further from your donation.

Happygreen

Mojisola wrote: »

I would ask them to confirm that the money you paid was going to the charity concerned. If you pay tax and had signed the gift aid form, the charity would have benefited further from your donation.

Thanks, folks. He just emailed me that the money has gone to charity.

jetta22mc

Hi, I've just returned from a visit to a local Solicitor under the Free Wills Month scheme. Guess what when I told them the Charity was not one on his list he didn't want to know. He also initially told me I had to pay a £25 fee to register the deposit of will with them - which he later agreed to drop when I contested it. He also tried very hard to charge me £2000 for a Trust creation and Lasting Power of Attorney - again which I had an option on. But when I argued that this web site and the form I was being asked to sign both stated giving to a Charity was optional he tried to argue it was not and wouldn't proceed unless I gave something. As a result I had to walk out having wasted 50 minutes and petrol to get there. Was I fuming!!! It's a right con.

G6JNS

jetta22mc wrote: »

Hi, I've just returned from a visit to a local Solicitor under the Free Wills Month scheme. Guess what when I told them the Charity was not one on his list he didn't want to know. He also initially told me I had to pay a £25 fee to register the deposit of will with them - which he later agreed to drop when I contested it. He also tried very hard to charge me £2000 for a Trust creation and Lasting Power of Attorney - again which I had an option on. But when I argued that this web site and the form I was being asked to sign both stated giving to a Charity was optional he tried to argue it was not and wouldn't proceed unless I gave something. As a result I had to walk out having wasted 50 minutes and petrol to get there. Was I fuming!!! It's a right con.

Report him to the Free Will Month management.