TRF Wills are delighted to announce that we now have a full-time consultant covering Wolverhampton and its surrounding geographical areas. This article is an in-depth look at DIY and Free Wills from TRF Wills – Wolverhampton
Do-it-Yourself (DIY) Wills
If you have been considering creating your own Will, you are totally at liberty to do so, and therefore pay only for the ink and the paper required to create it, or the cost of a DIY kit from a High Street stationery shop. Any such “DIY Will” should be perfectly valid provided it meets all the criteria set out in section 9 of the Wills Act 1837. However, whilst DIY Wills can seem appealing and cost effective on face value, they can cause complex issues after your death that become difficult and expensive to solve. Errors relating to substitute beneficiaries, protecting your biological children’s inheritances above your stepchildren’s inheritances, care fees costs for a surviving spouse or partner, and Guardianship disputes are just some of the problems which occur regularly because of DIY Wills.
Also, if you create your own Will, it is not professionally insured against the financial effect of errors, whereas a Will created by a professional practitioner should always be insured, so please check to make sure.
“Free” Wills
When a professional Will drafter, solicitor, or charity offers to create a “free” Will for you, it is basic common-sense to wonder why. What is their reason for doing so?
It is often the case that the Will is not truly “free” and has strings attached. Many so-called “free” Will offers include hidden commitments in the terms and conditions, such as the Will firm being appointed as Executors of your estate. Solicitors, banks, Legal Services companies, charities, and trust corporations might charge anywhere between the equivalent of 1-10% of the estate value and may even include an hourly fee in addition to this.
Remember the well-proven statement “There is NO Such Thing as a Free Lunch”.
DIY and Free Wills TRF Wills – Wolverhampton
If you are based in the Wolverhampton or surrounding areas and wish to discuss your options further WITHOUT fear of consultation fees or obligation, then please Contact us.
TRF Wills (TRF) was created by Michael Cotterill in 2005. He is a member of the Society of Will Writers and registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office.