Most lawyers use Will templates and populate their customer’s information into it. The Footprint platform does the same. The platform was built by lawyers and provides solicitor approved, legally valid Wills and each Will is reviewed by professional Will drafters. There are times when complex situations need a consultation which is why Footprint works with Perpetual Guardian.

If our system identifies that your situation requires a complex Will, we’ll refer you to our third-party provider Perpetual Guardian for a phone consultation. They will advise of any fees and charges before you embark on the process with them. You can learn more about their Services, fees and charges here.

The legal age to receive any inheritance in New Zealand is 18 years old. If you leave anything to anyone under this age (for example any young grandchildren, or nieces and nephews) it’ll be held for them by the trustee of your Will. However, this money is still available before the age of 18 for certain things like child support or education etc.

The answer is yes, it’s legal to have an executor who’s also a beneficiary in your Will. But Footprint think it’s a good idea to keep the beneficiaries of your estate and your executor separate - just in case your Will is challenged as it could be seen as a conflict of interest, but it’s totally your call.

Certainly, when you leave a gift in your Will you will be asked in the ‘Declaration’ section of the Will builder if you would like to share details of your gift with the charities. If you choose not to share your details with the intended charities, then the charities only receive non-identifiable ‘collective data’. Collective data is the non-identifiable total data that is made up of known and unknown intended gifts i.e number of people that have left a bequest in their Will or a running total of monetary gifts etc. Data is only provided to a charity once it is non-identifiable at an individual level.

Your Will contains private and personal information. Details of a person’s intended gift/bequest will only be shared with the charity if the user explicitly agrees to it. It’s important to carefully review and understand the terms and conditions provided by Footprint and the charity. Footprint does not pro-actively reach out to your listed charities to inform them of your intended gift to them. Where permission has been given, charities may receive reporting that would advise them when a gift has been left and the charity can then reach out to you in the future to thank you.

You can contact Footprint directly on info@myfootprint.co.nz or 0800 366 877 Monday to Friday 8am to 5pm