REASONS FOR HAVING YOUR WILL MADE IN SUCH A WAY THAT WILL MAKERS PTY. LTD. SHALL ASSIST YOUR FAMILY UPON A DEATH OCCURRING.

The following is information as to why so many people have chosen to help their family by arranging for this Company to provide the services of assisting families to know after a loved one’s death whom is an appropriate, reliable, honest person or body to administer their relative’s Will.

The service provided by this Company was organised in 1994 by several christian and charitably minded persons who set up a unique service to be available in perpetuity for whenever anyone dies. That system is the one operated by WILL MAKERS PTY. LTD. at the instigation of - and under a Trust Deed with - Christian Aid & Business Services Inc.

One of those persons, who has been its honorary General Manager, retired from being a solicitor with 45 years experience with Wills, deceased estates and associated documents to now spend more time extending the services and to make some of them more easily available - and with some less expense.

As honorary adviser he has taken extreme care in operating within the parameters of the law so that the community receives the full benefits from the service, but without abrogating any of the safe-guards for the community by the law and from the ethics of the legal profession.

Christian Aid & Business Services Inc. (originally named Christian Aid Inc.) has since 1960 been recognized officially as a charitable body whose income has been exempt by reason of having been solely applied for charitable and religious purposes. Both Will Makers Pty. Ltd. and Christian Aid & Business Services Inc. were under the 2000 law officially categorised as “Income Tax Exempt Charities”.

This Company is unique, and by contacting it, an experienced will-maker will assist you to obtain your Will securing in it the equally important future service - for when death occurs - through this body’s several unique and effective procedures to ensure that your loved ones on your death will not experience unwarranted expense or delays.

Problems in the past decades occurred - sometimes with trustee companies and sometimes with solicitors. The services from this Company provide a system which is unique - but proven by it - and superior to what is left available from the few trustee companies still existing after at least five names which were icons in South Australia are no longer seen, due to a range of problems.

Trustee companies have been permitted by law to increase their charges with no notification to their existing clients except a Notice in a government gazette not read by clients. Charges therefore increased from 4% to 6% to 6.5% without clients becoming aware of it before they died.
“Will Makers” is not a trustee company and therefore no percentages apply. It is opposed to
commissions. There are no shareholders or directors to pay, and no costs based on a percentage of the value of the estate although substantial costs are payable to trustee companies as their costs.

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The amounts agreed by clients to be paid after death for the services are a modest amount disclosed to the clients in writing and cannot be altered and are ALL paid to the Christian Schools Building which were historically based on a percentage of the estate’s value [see paragraph (a) this page].

Fund. No remuneration - not even any directors fees - are ever received by any member of this body.The Company is motivated to provide a service of what the community needs. St Paul said “be all things to all people”.

On the death of the first of a couple there will be no payment at all to Will Makers P/L unless a Probate is required. There will, of course, in many cases be other expenses elsewhere than WM.

On the death of the survivor of a couple, or on the death of a “Single” person, a Probate will probably be required in which case the above modest amount (agreed at the time of making the Will) is payable out of the estate for providing the services below.

These services are:-

  (a) to avoid the enormous percentage charges to Public Trustee ($9,900 on $300,000 as at Jan.        2003) and Trustee companies ($9,900-$10,200 on $300,000; and $8,800 -$13,200 on        400,000 quoted Jan 2003 by one) - Will Makers Pty. Ltd. often saves a client’s family
       $5,000-$8,000 - sometimes more, e.g. Trustee companies are permitted to charge on a        $300,000 estate $19,800 plus 8.25 % on income and on a $400,000 estate $26,400
       plus 8.25 % on income;
  (b) ensure the fast and efficient administration of one's estate which can save money for families        (by the assets being available earlier to pay off the beneficiaries’ mortgages or to be        otherwise used or invested);
  (c) watches who is an appropriate person, firm or other body on the basis of speed,
       efficiency, ability to cope with volume of deceased estate work, and
       reasonableness of charges to carry out whatever administration work is necessary;
  (d) monitors the administration by receiving progress reports during certain
       stages of the administration to become aware of any estate suffering a delay in the
       granting of any Probate by reason of any lapse of time on the part of anybody including        persons such as solicitors - tax agents – land agents etc. involved in supplying services to the        executors; and makes the existence of such monitoring known in advance to those        administering the Client’s estate so that they are aware that they are under a scrutiny which        affects their likelihood of being asked to handle further estates for Will Makers Pty. Ltd.
  (e) checks the amount charged by receiving a print-out of the computer cost entries for
       the estate showing the time taken for items of attendances and the cost of most
       individual steps and items, such as a letter or document.

Instead of charges by a trustee company there will be a charge - not by this company - but by whichever place administers an estate chosen by the executors with the information from Will Makers Pty. Ltd. as to which place is expected from past performances in the prior months to be completely satisfactory in price and speed and efficiency.

Those charges are protected from any capital charges and will enable the savings indicated in paragraph (a) above. Those charge will be based entirely on the amount of work needed and not any flat rate.

Trustee companies back in history provided free Wills, but many changes have occurred over
the past years. Many people had not asked about later costs. Who wants 6.6% on $100,000 to be deducted by a trustee company [other than Public Trustee] i.e. $6,600 on $100,000, now that Will Makers P/L has produced an entirely more satisfactory way for the community to choose?

The worst is that $6,600 can be charged regardless of the amount of work for a $100,000 estate which often requires only $1,000 - $2,000 legal costs if done by a firm arranged through Will Makers P/L if the deceased had signed a Contract in one’s lifetime for Will Makers P/L to arrange the work.

Whilst the above 6.6% is not be charged on larger estates, it is now the legal entitlement of trustee companies [other than Public Trustee] to apply that rate to any estate for every $100,000 of gross estate including house and investments owned by, say, the last of a couple to die. It would also includes the superannuation moneys often ending up in the ownership of the last spouse to die. Public Trustee charges less, but their figure is also a percentage which is still so high as to be avoided, and to motivate a change to the combined benefits provided by Will Makers Pty. Ltd.

The modest amount of $20 per person as an establishment fee with this Company includes:-
  1. arranging the deposit of your original Will in the WILLS & SECURITIES REGISTER OF
      AUSTRALIA controlled by Will Makers Pty. Ltd. and located in the City for your convenience.
  2. the establishment and continuation of the system and for paying annual registration fees for
      the Company to ASIC (the Australian Government regulatory authority);
  3. on death, supplying information to family & directing them to the services recommended;
      The additional fee to WM when a Probate is needed will include:-
       A. on death supplying information to family and directing them to the services recommended;
       B. monitoring the progress of the administration under any Probate;
       C. receiving progress reports during certain stages of the administration
       D. providing the other services in one’s Contract to Provide Services.
The above fees to Will Makers Pty. Ltd. are fixed by words defined and evidenced in your “Contract to Provide (You) with Services” [sample on this web-site].

This Company studied what was available in this State as to charges for administering a Will and as to the time taken and efficiency with which detailed Wills were made and estates administered. Steps have taken from time to time during the last 6 years to update these studies so that this Company IS aware at the time of any client’s death of who is fast and efficient at that time for handling the administration of any estates.

The company’s honorary general manager has heard the words of gratitude of a delighted beneficiary who had just opened an envelope and found his cheque in the mail upon the completion of his late mother’s estate only 5 ¼ weeks after a solicitor designated by Will Makers Pty. Ltd. had been given the Will to obtain Probate of it and pay debts & distribute the net proceeds. He was astounded.

Without Will Makers Pty. Ltd., estates sometimes take longer than really necessary. Prior to Will Makers Pty. Ltd. being formed, it is known that one estate even took 35 months to administer where no life interest or other factor should have caused such a time lapse. This was not usual but it did happen even where it could have been done in a much shorter time!).

Will Makers are involved with sufficient Wills and estates to know that the firms entrusted by it with Wills and estates have moved promptly from step to step because any solicitor or other body wants the next estate which we are prepared to refer to them. However, they know that they have to perform speedily, efficiently and with satisfactory charges to receive a new estate.

To ensure the assistance of WILL MAKERS PTY. LTD., add additional executors & trustees as explained in the link “WHO TO BE EXECUTORS”.
To take advantage of these benefits contact WILL MAKERS PTY. LTD. or C.A.B.S. Inc.

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