As the calendar turns to November 2025, a wave of change is sweeping through the world of wills and estate planning in Canada and beyond, targeting not just the elderly or the wealthy, but also younger generations who have traditionally shied away from such conversations. The annual Will Aid charity campaign is underway, encouraging people—especially young adults—to take control of their final wishes, even if the prospect of death feels distant. The message is clear: planning for the end is no longer just about dividing up property, but about leaving a legacy that reflects the complexity of modern lives and relationships.
Will Aid, which runs every November, partners with solicitors who waive their fees for drafting basic wills in exchange for a charitable donation. This year, the campaign is making a particular push to engage young people, urging them to consider not only their assets but also their digital footprints, personal mementos, and the emotional impact of their passing. According to the BBC, dinner parties, love letters, and even secret recipes are making their way into wills, as young professionals like 31-year-old Londoner Kate Davis seek to personalize their final instructions.
Kate’s journey into will writing began after reading Atul Gawande’s Being Mortal, but it was the sudden death of her father Mark last year that prompted her to revisit the document and add more intimate touches. “Sudden death was definitely the trigger to think about those extra things,” Kate told the BBC. “I wanted a chance to tell people how much I love them, even from beyond the grave.” Her experience is increasingly common, as more young adults recognize the importance of protecting their assets and making clear arrangements for what comes after.
The scope of what constitutes an “asset” has broadened dramatically. Emily Deane from the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners told the BBC that young people now routinely include digital assets—cryptocurrency, social media accounts, and online businesses—in their wills. Yet, a National Wills Report found that one in four people don’t know how to write a will, and many believe their estate is too simple to warrant one.
Sam Grice, founder of Octopus Legacy, knows firsthand the confusion that can follow an unexpected death. When his mother Jeanette died in a car crash at age 27, Sam and his family struggled to honor her wishes because her will was out of date. “My mum had a will, but it wasn’t up to date and that caused a lot of friction,” he explained to the BBC. The family was left guessing about funeral arrangements and financial affairs, often discovering forgotten accounts years after her passing. “This was really tough trying to do her justice without having a clear idea of her wishes,” Sam recalled. His experience motivated him to encourage more young people—especially millennials who rent or don’t have children—to draft their own wills and protect their liabilities.
Interestingly, the approach younger generations take to will writing is evolving. Even without traditional assets like property, many now include deeply personal items in their wills, from cherished family recipes to heartfelt farewell messages. According to Sam, about 40% of 30 to 39-year-olds using Octopus Legacy’s service leave a gift to charity. “The most valuable thing I have from my mum is her voice and videos with her,” he said. “What would I pay to have another video with her? It’s priceless.”
Despite growing awareness, there are still pitfalls. The National Wills Report found that up to 29% of people with a will have not told anyone where they store it, a detail that can lead to chaos when the time comes. Lily Aaron from the Money and Pensions Service emphasized to the BBC that life changes quickly for young people—moving in with partners, adopting pets, or starting families—and a will is essential to ensure their wishes are respected.
Part of the recent boom in will writing among the young can be attributed to the rise of online DIY services, which offer affordability and ease of use. Sophia Maslin, founder of Morby, told the BBC that factors like the Covid-19 pandemic and the ubiquity of death in social media have made conversations about mortality less taboo. However, she cautioned that to be legally binding, a will must be properly written and signed in the presence of two independent witnesses over 18.
To reach younger audiences, Morby and other services have launched cheeky campaigns with slogans like “Wanna Netflix and will?” and “plan your exit like a celebrity.” These efforts have struck a chord, reframing will writing as an act of empowerment and financial wellbeing rather than a grim or bureaucratic chore.
Emily Deane’s advice is straightforward: every adult should have a will, even a simple one. She recommends reviewing it every three to five years or after major life events. The key steps, she told the BBC, include listing assets and liabilities, appointing an executor, naming beneficiaries, recording burial wishes, and keeping the document safe—since only the original is legally valid.
While these cultural shifts are happening on a personal level, legislative changes are also underway. On October 31, 2025, New Brunswick’s Attorney General Robert McKee announced proposed amendments to the province’s Wills Act, aiming to bring the law in line with modern realities. “The Wills Act has not kept up with changes in families, assets and society over time,” McKee said in the legislature, as reported by Global News. The amendments seek to make the law clearer, fairer, and more flexible.
Key proposals include treating common-law partners the same as married spouses, lowering the minimum age to make a will from 19 to 16, and allowing judges to honor gifts to witnesses if there’s clear intent and no undue influence. Other changes would ensure that marriage no longer automatically revokes an existing will, and that gifts to former or separated spouses are revoked unless otherwise specified. The amendments also aim to give judges more flexibility to interpret a person’s intentions and to remove outdated legal rules that have caused confusion.
Progressive Conservative MLA Bill Oliver expressed support for modernizing the Wills Act, but questioned the timing. “Reflecting on the modern realities certainly is something that we should be looking forward to doing,” he said, but added, “Why in the midst of an affordability crisis gripping New Brunswick, this government has chosen to prioritize tinkering with testamentary law over attacking the kitchen table issues that keep families up at night?”
Despite such concerns, the momentum for reform—both cultural and legal—suggests that will writing is fast becoming an essential part of adulthood for all, not just the elderly or the wealthy. As young people embrace the chance to shape their legacies, and lawmakers strive to make the process more inclusive and accessible, the once-morbid task of writing a will is being reimagined for a new generation.
