Wills
Preparing a Last Will and Testament ensures that, after you die, your assets are distributed according to your wishes. In the absence of a Will the courts may appoint someone to distribute your assets and can decide who the beneficiaries of those assets will be. Wills also provide an opportunity to appoint guardians for minor children, indicate your preferences regarding burial/cremation/service/ceremony after death, and name charities as beneficiaries.
WHAT TO BRING TO THE APPOINTMENT
What will I need for my Will or Power of Attorney appointment*?
- Picture identification
- Full legal names and current addresses of anyone being mentioned in your Will/Power of Attorney (i.e. primary and alternate executors, beneficiaries, and attorneys)
- Copy of existing Will/Power of Attorney (if you have one)
- Copy of title or most recent Assessment (if you are a property owner)
*You will need 2 appointments with the notary. Please allow for an hour long appointment each visit. We find that, when discussing estate planning matters, most appointments take between 45 to 60 minutes.
The first appointment will be to gather the required information and answer any questions you may have. The notary will ask you a series of questions in order to tailor the document(s) to your specific needs. We then prepare the document(s), and the second appointment will be to review what we have prepared, make any changes if required, and complete the signing.
Will registration
We will register your Will with the BC Vital Statistics Agency, and will need to know the specific location where it will be kept (e.g. safety deposit box, home safe, etc.). Please ensure you have a secure, fire-proof place to store your original Will. Your executors will need to be able to access the original, not a copy, when the time comes. If you are using a safety deposit box, we recommend making it joint with your executor, or someone else you trust, to ensure it can be accessed when needed. We will provide you with a copy of your Will that you can keep on hand for your reference, or to review from time to time.
