It's not unusual for people to reach out looking for a will only to get blindsided with sticker shock. Breathlessly they ask 'why does estate planning cost so much?'
Maybe you've wondered the same thing yourself. Maybe I've sent you here to circumvent answering your question. Or maybe you've done your estate plan and some bloke down at the pub is up in your grill demanding to know why you were such a sucker for paying so much when he only paid $29 for a ten page DIY will kit at the post office (I have to admit I haven't looked lately but chances are high, like everything else, even the cost of DIY wills has gone up).
When you can do an online will for free if you leave some of your money to a charity, or tick some boxes and in ten minutes have a $99 will in your inbox - it's a fair question. Heck even having your will drawn up by the local big box lawyer is cheaper than coming to me.
And there in lies the crux of the answer. A will and an estate plan are two very different beasts and comparing the two is about as helpful as comparing an apple with a gold plated fruit bowl.
Value Vs Cost
The value of estate planning goes beyond legal documents.
Unfortunately, unlike buying a really expensive vacuum cleaner and checking the reviews to see if other people thought it gave good bang for its buck - the true value of an estate plan (and the true lack of value of a cheap will) doesn't usually get to be experienced until after the will maker is dead - which in turn makes gathering five star reviews and glowing testimonials kind of tricky.
So you're going to have to take my word on this one. People tell me they think my wills are good value.
By definition, value means;
The regard that something is held to deserve; the importance, worth, or usefulness of something.
My trusty Webster dictionary goes further to add the following words: usefulness, utility, practicality, advantage, benefit, gain, service, effectiveness, importance, significance, purposeful.
Before offering up a second meaning
The worth of something compared to the price paid or asked for it.
Estate planning isn't an expense - it's an investment in security, clarity, and your legacy.
How do you know you're getting a good return on your investment?
When you do your estate planning with me you'll get:
✔️ Comprehensive Guidance – I will take the time to get to know you, your family, your fears, your worries, your finances, your obligations.
✔️ Personalised Documents – An estate plan is a customised and tailored approach that reflects your unique needs, not a one-size-fits-all template or series of standard clauses.
✔️ Ongoing Support – Your estate plan isn't a set-and-forget exercise, we build a relationship where you can come to me each time life changes and evolves to make a new plan, you can ask questions, send your family to me to ask questions, or just email me for funsies.
✔️ Trust and Care - Thousands of people die every week going to the grave with fears and secrets that come back to bite their family because the will maker didn't know how (or that they needed to) include those things in their will - or how to share them with their lawyer. I am a judgement free zone - I will take your closeted skeletons and show them the amount of light required to not cause a problem after you die (with care and compassion). Neurodiversity, sexuality, secret families, lost children, difficult parents, families (because there's no such thing as a dysfunctional family) - they're all my jam.
✔️ Expertise & Experience – All I do is write wills and manage deceased estates. Personally I consider myself pretty good at helping people avoid mistakes and making sure their plans are legally sound. Death law isn't something I've tacked onto my business - it IS my business.
✔️ People not Assets - An estate plan is about making sure the people you care about are looked after in ways that don't make life more difficult for them if you're not around. Sure we talk about your stuff; money, super, investments, houses, crypto, your weird 18th centry pottery collection - but mostly we talk about your head and your heart.
✔️ Peace of Mind – You don't come away with a pile of documents but absolutely no idea what purpose they serve, we play a game called "what does life look like if you die" during which you get to move the pieces around the board, you get to divide up your Die Pie, and you get to see exactly what life will look like for your family if you're not around so you know you've covered all your bases.
Instead of focusing on how much a an estate plan costs, think about what it protects, who it helps, the stress it prevents. How much do you value that?
A cheaper will might save you now but will the documents you put in place be useful and practical. Will they advantage, benefit, and serve the people they're designed to help? Or will they make their life more complicated (and potentially more expensive).