November 25, 2025
Why do we like to use the term “estate planning” rather than simply “wills”?
Because there is more to your estate plan than just preparing a will.
Other things you need to consider include:
- Do you need to establish trusts while you are alive?
- Do you have up to date powers of attorney?
- What is your plan for guardianship of children?
- Should you preplan your funeral or prepay for it?
- Do you want a funeral or celebration of life?
- Do you want a say in what the event is like? After all, it is your last chance to have your way.
- Do you want burial or cremation?
- Do you need to add designated beneficiaries to life insurance policies or RSPs?
- For that matter, do you need insurance?
- Are your affairs (and records) in good shape for your estate trustee?
That’s a lot. No wonder most people need help.
Some of these, such as indicating what you want by way of funeral or disposition of your body, can be dealt with in your will (but do not have to be).
Some, like whether you need insurance, are best discussed with other professionals.
What they have in common is that they should be considered and hopefully discussed with your trusted advisors.
Your lawyer should be one of those advisors.
This is one of the reasons why we think having a lawyer do your estate planning is a better investment than a do it yourself will, even those prepared from kits or online.
If you do not have frequent need for legal advice, how do you have a lawyer who is a trusted advisor?
Don’t pick a lawyer at random. Even a lawyer who focuses on estate planning may not be the right lawyer for you.
Chances are you have other trusted advisors in your life. They may be professionals – accountants; bankers; financial advisors for example. They may be family members or close friends.
Just be careful who you trust.
Maybe you have dealt with a lawyer to buy a house. Chances are that lawyer does estate planning. Ask them, if you liked how they dealt with your real estate. If they made you feel like you were on an assembly line, look around for another lawyer.
Before you pick a lawyer, check out their online presence. Hopefully there have one. Is it professional looking? Does it provide you information about the lawyer; their approach to the practice of law; how they deal with clients? Does it provide you with helpful information? Does it make you feel comfortable?
Talk to the lawyer before you commit to doing your estate plan with them. That may even go as far as to having an initial meeting and deciding that they are not the right lawyer for you. If you get that feeling, try another lawyer.
At Weilers LLP we do a lot of estate planning. We believe we do a good job for clients. We approach each client, or couple, as unique, and take the time to discuss their needs before drafting a will or other documents custom tailored to their needs, at a reasonable cost. Where appropriate, we work well with your other trusted advisors to make sure your overall estate plan is coherent and consistent. But not every client will find us the best fit. That is why in our articles we like to say “give us a call, we might be the right lawyers for you”.