Write your own Will in NZ
Why did I make the Do It Yourself Will Kit For New Zealand and this website ?
I decided to write my own Will in NZ after having a number of unsatisfactory experiences with the Will writing industry in New Zealand. So I spent a lot of time researching the subject and found there’s a lack of comprehensive explanations of the complexities that surround writing a Will in NZ.
I also had a number of experiences with people who were close family members. One died without a Will. Another elderly family member died slowly with dementia. In both situations I was the main person who had to sort out the problems.
So I understand how stressful it is when not only are you dealing with the grief of losing a loved family member, but on top you have to worry about and solve all the problems that arise. Many of which could have been avoided with a well written Will and Enduring Power Of Attorney. So I decided to write the Do It Yourself Will Kit For New Zealand to help other people write their own low cost comprehensive Wills in NZ. Also to help people avoid some of the problems and pitfalls that can be avoided when you understand more about the subject.
Lawyers can make mistakes!
One of the unsatisfactory experiences I had with Wills was from the viewpoint of being a beneficiary of the estate of a close relative of mine. Where her Will that was written by a qualified lawyer that created foreseeable problems. Then all her beneficiaries were caught up in extra costs and delays in the final settlement of her estate.
I’ll never know what advice or information was exchanged between my relative and the lawyer who wrote her Will, so I can’t apportion blame to one party or the other for all the problems. But the avoidable problems ended up costing my relatives estate unnecessary legal expenses. Since my relative had made the legal firm that helped her write her Will the executor of her Will. So they charged more money to sort out the avoidable problems that they should have foreseen. The unnecessary additional legal expenses could have been avoided by a simple wording change in her Will. Thereby saving thousands of dollars and six months delay in the distribution of her estate to the beneficiaries. This created opportunity costs for the beneficiaries who could not utilise their financial inheritance for six months more than necessary. So her beneficiaries ended up having to wait 12 months before her estate was fully distributed. It’s frustrating being a beneficiary of an estate knowing that your loved one scrimped and saved for years so her beneficiaries could receive an inheritance and their money is tied up in a lawyers trust account for a minimum of a year or potentially more for legal reasons that could have been avoided!
My Will making experiences
I have made three Wills.
1st. My first Will was made by a small legal company in New Zealand in the year 2000. Unbeknown to me they later sold my information to a larger legal company. I’m not comfortable with having my personal information sold without my prior consent! When I decided I should review my Will with regard to updating it, I had to do a bit of detective work to find out where my Will was being stored. Eventually I got a copy. But if I had died during the period that Will was valid I’m not sure If my next of kin would have been able to locate my Will. This could have meant although I had a valid Will It may not have been found therefore I may have been determined to have died “intestate” where my estate would have distributed according to the Administration Act. This would have resulted in my estate being distributed in a way I did not want. As well as creating delays and unnecessary legal expenses.
2nd. My second Will was made by a large trust company. They insisted that I make them the executor of my Will which meant that although I had capable beneficiaries who could have acted as executors at no charge and been in control of their inheritance. My estate would have had to pay administration fees to the trust company. So the beneficiaries of my estate would have received less money and had unnecessary stress and delays dealing with trust company employees before they received what I wanted them to have promptly.
3 rd & 4 th. My third and forth Wills were made using foreign owned online services that I won’t name. I did not find them satisfactory because they have restrictions and did not explain important considerations or cover all the things are best included in my Will.
5 th. So after my unsatisfactory experiences I decided to write my own do it yourself Will. I spent a lot of time researching the subject. Then wrote my own Will, got it printed and witnessed so it’s now precisely how I want it to be. If I want to change it I can update it for the price of printing A4 black & white paper. I find it satisfying to understand the complexities of making a Will and being in control of how my estate will be distributed so I can look after my loved ones as best as possible.
Then I realised there would be other people in my predicament who would want to write your own Will in NZ. So decided to help them by writing the Do It Yourself Will Guide For New Zealand. I then realised in order to make it easy for others to make a Will in NZ it would be best to make a Do It Yourself Will Kit For New Zealand that includes the step by step guide and the editable forms to create a legally binding Will in NZ.
In the process I also learnt about Living Wills and the types of Enduring Power Of Attorney. So in order to give good value to purchasers of the Do It Yourself Will Kit For New Zealand I decided to include this information as well. Because Living Wills and Enduring Power Of Attorney are an important part of being in charge of your future that deserves to be explained so the purchasers of the Do It Yourself Will Kit For New Zealand can be empowered to control as much of their life as they want to. So an explanation and editable form for a Living Will is included. Also an explanation of the types of Enduring Power Of Attorney is included in the easily downloadable Do It Yourself Will Kit For New Zealand. All for the affordable one off price of NZ$45. I believe if a jobs worth doing it’s worth doing properly!
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Empower yourself to write your own Will in NZ!
I now feel empowered because I’m not leaving Will writing up to other people who may make mistakes or have their financial interests at heart. I feel assured that when something happens to me I am as prepared as possible for some of life’s significant events. Also my loved ones will be looked after as well as I can and receive the benefits I leave them promptly and with minimal costs and delays.
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