Be Cautious of “Free” Will Services
While National Wills Week (14–18 September 2026) encourages South Africans to get their affairs in order, Rhiannon Thomas of Milkwood Law cautions that free services often come with costly hidden conditions.
Speaking at DignitySA’s recent webinar on Afterlife Admin, she warned that, “Many services for free Wills come with unnecessary strings attached. The primary catch is that the institution creating the free Will often appoints itself as the executor, typically charging the maximum legal rate of 3.5% of the estate’s value plus VAT. Better rates and personalized service can be found by appointing a trusted family member or friend as Executor, who can then shop around for the best professional assistance to wind up the estate.”
This warning follows recent data from the Capital Legacy Estate Readiness Index™ showing that 66% of bereaved families experience a cash shortage within three months of a loved one’s death, and 54% rely on untrained family members to handle complex paperwork.
The webinar panel also highlighted how corporate services contribute to South Africa’s massive pool of unclaimed financial assets.
“Banks and insurers operate at a scale that makes true personalisation structurally difficult,” warned Thabisile Sethaba, founder of end-of-life planning company SendOff. “Without proper client consolidation, smaller policies held elsewhere frequently go untracked, and this is a significant contributor to the forgotten investments and lost inheritances we see across South Africa. Institutions that partner with dedicated end-of-life specialists can close this gap, ensuring every client’s estate is fully accounted for and every family is properly protected.”
Rhiannon and Thabisile’s key recommendations for estate readiness are:
- Know When to Pay for Professional Help: If you have an estate worth more than R3,500,000 or have minor children, invest in a legal professional to draft a customised Will.
- Centralise Documentation: Store vital documents, policy numbers, and advance directives in a secure, central location known to loved ones.
- Appoint Flexible Executors: Name a trusted individual who can negotiate competitive administration rates rather than locking in fixed rates.
“Putting our affairs in order is our final and perhaps most enduring gift to our loved ones,” Rhiannon concluded.
To watch a recording of the webinar, please visit our YouTube channel at youtube.com/@DignitySouthAfrica