Wills are as varied as the individual circumstances of the maker of the will. However, for most people, a basic single will is satisfactory.

If you have substantial assets that do not require probate, (i.e. shares in a private corporation), there can be a significant saving of estate administration tax (formerly called probate fees) by using a secondary will. Estate administration tax is normally charged at the rate of approximately 1.5% on the value of your estate that is subject to probate. We do have a flat rate for a basic secondary will.

In other cases, a spousal or family trust can be used to defer the payment of income taxes. Where trusts are involved, which often requires specialized tax advice, we charge for wills and secondary wills on an hourly rate basis.

The good news is that it is easier to prepare spousal wills together and we offer a reduced rate for them, if they are prepared at the same time.

The cost of wills and powers of attorney is always less than dealing with your property without them. In a real life example, we were recently consulted about an elderly parent could no longer manage her affairs. It cost over $5,000 to have a guardian appointed for the parent. The parent will never be able to make a will since she has lost mental capacity.

Sometimes, clients require special delivery arrangements and we do charge the courier cost for this service.

If you wish, we will store your original will and duplicate original copies of your powers of attorney for you at no charge. We also prepare affidavits of execution for your will (required if you seek probate) and for your powers of attorney at no additional charge. We do not charge any additional amount for the affidavit of age and status for your power of attorney for property.

We also provide you with a Personal Protection Toolkit that contains a handy information sheet for your executors and useful information about the duties and responsibilities of executors and attorneys acting under powers of attorney at no additional charge.

On an ongoing basis, we send out a fresh Estate Information Sheet every November (after the first year) to clients who have used our services in preparing a will or powers of attorney (so be sure to keep us advised of any moves).