When you’re raising a young family, it’s non-stop. The questions that constantly race through your mind are: Have we packed enough snacks? Are there wipes in the bag? Have we filled out all the daycare and school forms? Has everyone used the bathroom (at least tried) one last time? And the list goes on. The constant hum of the to-do list, paired with the demands of everyday parenting, can feel overwhelming.
But amid all the daily chaos, there’s one important thing that’s often put on the back burner – your family’s long-term security. While it’s easy to focus on today’s challenges, thinking about the future is equally important. Estate planning, including drafting a will, isn’t just for retirement-age folks; it’s a crucial step for young families too. In fact, 62% of Canadian adults still do not have a will, and 12% of Canadians with a will have one that is out of date.
A lot of people assume that when they pass, everything will automatically go to their spouse. But here’s something many don’t realize – if you have children, this doesn’t happen in all provinces! In Ontario where I live, the estate is divided between the spouse and children. This could lead to a situation where the family home must be sold to divide the estate fairly. The last thing you want is for your loved ones to face this kind of financial stress on top of an already difficult time.
That’s where estate planning becomes essential. And for young families, the good news is that creating a will doesn’t have to be a complicated, expensive, or stressful process. LegalWills, founded in 2000, is a leading online estate planning platform based in Ottawa, and it’s been helping Canadians (and others around the world) create their legal documents in a simple, private, and affordable way. They’ve helped over half a million people create estate planning documents, and their wills are trusted for probate and accepted by the courts. With LegalWills, you can easily create a will without the hefty cost of a lawyer, and rest assured that your family is protected, even when life gets chaotic.
I (like so many others) had put off creating a will. My children are 5 and 9 years old, and life is just so busy with them. Though I knew a will was important, it always seemed to get pushed off to a later date. I think I also had a lot of big feelings about taking this step – it seemed so heavy. I didn’t want to think about a time when I wouldn’t be around for my kids. But finding LegalWills really pushed me to try out their online process, and I wish in hindsight I’d done it years ago!
The process of creating my will with LegalWills was straightforward and easy. Their website walked me through every step. I started with my personal information including info for my husband and both children. There were questions about other people to include in my will (outside of family) as well as organizations that may be special to me that I’d want included. The tough questions for me presented themselves when it was time to choose the guardians for my children. This is where I took a break, as I needed some time to really think this through (and one of the reasons I’d been putting off completing a will all these years!). Thankfully, I could easily save my work at this point, coming back to it after some discussion with my husband and once we’d come to a decision.
Another section that required some careful consideration was the distribution of possessions. What to leave (and how much) to charities, what personal items to leave to named individuals and even who to assign care of any pets to, Legal Wills really thought of everything and took the guess work out! Having these conversations now gives the peace of mind that if the unexpected happens, your wishes are carried out. There are even provisions for ‘blended families’ and how possessions can be divided up. I have a few special items of jewellery that are very meaningful to me and I have chosen which items go to each of my children. I don’t want to put it on them to decide, I’ve chosen for them and so it’s one more thing already laid out.
I worked my way through the online tool and without the breaks I took, the actual process only took me about 20 minutes! All that’s left to do is sign my will in the presence of two witnesses, and have them sign as well. That’s it. Simple, clear, and now I have peace of mind knowing my kids are protected no matter what.
Website: https://www.legalwills.ca/
Instagram: @legalwills
Written by Gillian Kuriyan, Mommy Connections Midtown Toronto Director
Gillian lives in Toronto, Ontario with her family. A former actress, children’s not-for-profit program manager and fundraiser, outdoor education instructor and elementary teacher – she is also the proud mom of two children, ages 9 and 5. While on maternity leave from her job as an elementary teacher, she took over the Mommy Connections Midtown Toronto chapter in 2021 after being a participant. The experience and challenges (and isolation!) being on mat leave with an infant during Covid AND homeschooling her then 4 year old, left her determined to help moms in the community ‘find their mom squad’ and enjoy their mat leave to the fullest and build for themselves a village of support.
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