It isn't something that people always want to sit down and think about, but death is a sure thing and creating a will is extremely important.
With that being said, an online survey has found that the majority of British Columbians, or, 58 per cent, haven't created a will. What's more, 90 per cent of millennials don't have one.
Close-up of last will and testament document / Shutterstock
For those who do have a will, a mere one in ten reported that theirs is out of date. This is usually due to a major life event like getting married, buying a home, or having a child.
Willful, a company that provides an online-platform to create a will, commissioned the survey before they launched in B.C on March 12. From March 4th to March 6th 2019, a survey was conducted from a representative sample of 800 online British Columbia members of the Angus Reid Forum.
Make a Will Week takes place across the province from April 7 - 13 and stresses the importance of having an estate plan in place.
Vancouver Is Awesome spoke to Erin Bury, Willful, who explained a little bit about what their company does, as well as the importance of having a will.
"Having an estate plan in place is important in order to ensure your assets are distributed the way you want, and to ensure you have a plan in place for any dependents," she said. "Celebrities like Aretha Franklin and Prince died without a will - and our mission at Willful is to ensure that all Canadians have a plan in place."
Willful allows B.C. residents to easily create a legal will with their final wishes as well as estate plans in less than 20 minutes online.
“I created Willful after a relative passed away unexpectedly and our family was left to navigate his wishes. I realized through that experience that despite death being an inevitability in life, no one wants to think about it or plan for it,” said Kevin Oulds, Founder & CEO, Willful.
“People put off estate planning because it can be expensive and time-consuming, and that’s what we set out to change with Willful. Our mission is to change the way Canadians prepare for and deal with death, and we’re excited to launch our platform in BC today.”
