FreeWill is a web-based application for estate planning that enables you to write a will that is legally enforceable or change an existing one. It provides services such as the documentation of funeral desires, the creation of a durable power of attorney for financial matters, advanced healthcare directives (living wills), and the opportunity to make charitable donations from your retirement and stock brokerage account. FreeWill's services are offered without charge despite the fact that the organization's name suggests otherwise. FreeWill can provide funding thanks to its relationship with more than one hundred nonprofit organizations that support these programs. Users can modify or download their will at any time through the service, which can be accessed online and eliminate the need for users to generate a new will.
FreeWill provides a decent set of features for a service that doesn't cost anything.
First, it can fulfill a person's fundamental requirements for a will. The website provides a questionnaire with a straightforward layout, asking users fundamental questions like their name, address, and date of birth, as well as more specific questions about their current income, family, and whether or not they have children or pets they would like to provide for in their will.
Users who need to make an advance healthcare directive (a living will) will be asked to pick a preferred physician or hospital for end-of-life treatment and an agent or healthcare proxy and provide some personal information. Then, users may provide all the details they need to regard the values they want respected and other particular instructions before signing and providing any further state-specific instructions.
Consumers will need to provide certain private data and choose an agent or agents to handle their financial affairs on their behalf if they become incapacitated and unable to do it themselves. Users may then select which agents will be granted which capabilities, spell out any restrictions they want, and provide other crucial information (such as remuneration, monitors, guardians, revocation, and how papers will be performed).
As part of its mission to encourage philanthropy, FreeWill also makes it possible for users to make donations directly from their retirement or brokerage accounts.
The website of FreeWill features a straightforward layout that is quite simple to navigate. The will questionnaire with a final will is broken up into sections. Users can keep track of their progress, which enables them to determine how many portions they still need to complete. The website will walk you through the portions of the form that you'll need to complete and the information you'll need to compile before you start for services like advance healthcare directives or durable financial power of attorney.
FreeWill does not, sadly, offer a function that enables users to receive instant assistance from customer service specialists if such assistance is required. It does, however, include a website for contact information and a page for a help center where users may obtain solutions to some commonly asked concerns regarding debugging and other technical difficulties.
According to FreeWill, it can ensure that a user's will conforms to the particular legal criteria imposed by each state since it draws on the expertise of professionals in the United States. FreeWill clarifies that it is not a law practice and hence cannot give legal advice because of this status. You should hire a professional attorney and even a professional financial advisor in a separate transaction if you require their assistance.
FreeWill does not provide its users access to other mobile or web platforms through its service. When users have finished the questionnaire, all of the final documents will be available to them. There is neither an application nor any other kind of software that users must download. This is generally expected given the price approach that the corporation uses, which involves no costs.
In sum, FreeWill is a straightforward platform that allows users to quickly and easily make a basic legal will via their website. The service is provided free of charge to individuals, with a focus on charity giving as the company's ethos and business model. This includes the use of other end-of-life planning forms, like a durable financial power of attorney or a living will. Free will does not provide round-the-clock customer service, a live help desk, or legal counsel, but its user-friendly website makes it possible to sign up, get started, and get customised forms in a matter of minutes.