Willful's The Great Delay 2025 Report sees Canadians continuing to delay key financial milestones
TORONTO, Oct. 30, 2025 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- New research from Willful, Canada's leading online estate planning platform, shows that Canadians' financial optimism is slipping as tariffs, job instability, and living costs erode confidence.
For Make a Will Month and Financial Literacy Month in November, Willful has released its second annual The Great Delay report, which shows that despite signs of slowing inflation and lower interest rates, Canadians are still facing financial pressures.
The report surveyed over 1,500 Canadians, and found that fewer are optimistic about their financial future (46% of Canadians, vs. 54% in last year's report), and more than a third (37%) feel worse off financially than they did last year.
More than half (58%) say the tough economy forced them to delay major milestones this year, underscoring that Canadians have sidelined long-term financial planning to manage immediate concerns with their finances. For example in 2024, 51% of Canadians reported wanting to pay off their debt, but only 26% were able to do so in 2025. While 36% aimed to get a will or update one last year, only 9% were able to cross this off their list this year.
"Many Canadians spent this year in survival mode, focused on keeping up with rising day-to-day costs rather than making progress toward securing their financial futures," said Erin Bury, Co-Founder and CEO of Willful. "When every dollar feels spoken for, it's natural for long-term goals like saving, investing, or estate planning to fall off the list. But these are the very steps that can restore a sense of stability and confidence when everything else feels uncertain."
In response to the report's findings, Willful is collaborating with leading financial institutions to make estate planning more affordable and accessible for Canadians.
Key report findings:
Despite a slight decline in inflation concerns (72% vs. 86% in 2024), the broader picture shows continued erosion in confidence:
- Tariffs have negatively impacted the ability of 53% of respondents to budget for their day-to-day needs, such as groceries and gas - in fact Canadians' expenses have grown by an average of 16.7% in 2025
- Nearly half (44%) say the current job market, marked by layoffs and rising unemployment, has heightened their stress about job security and their financial situation.
- Almost one-third (31%) of Canadians have seen mortgage payments rise due to renewals, negatively affecting their household finances or delaying their financial goals - and while 18% of Canadians planned to buy a home last year, but only 4% achieved it.
- 46% of Canadians said they had to dip into their savings to cover day-to-day expenses in 2025 - and despite 49% saying they wanted to save for the future in the 2024 report, only 30% managed to save this year
- Despite growing awareness of financial risk, most Canadians remain unprepared for emergencies. Only 40% have a will, 34% have life insurance, and 24% hold Power of Attorney documents — figures that have largely been unchanged from 2024
- Over a third (36%) of Canadians have not discussed emergency planning with their family and do not have the proper documents in place
- On average, Canadians said they would need $791.6 in additional monthly income to complete their financial goals.
This Make a Will Month, Willful and its financial partners are helping Canadians plan ahead with confidence.
Through its own marketing efforts and in partnership with some of Canada's most trusted financial institutions, Willful is making estate planning more accessible and affordable for Canadians this Make a WiIll month.
- Willful is offering 20% off all plans through November 17. Plus, when customers choose an estate plan for two people, they'll also receive an additional free will to share with a loved one — such as a senior parent, sibling, or adult child.
- Plus, between October 30 and November 21, 2025, Scotiabank clients can access a special offer of 25% off any Willful plan (before taxes), and when they choose an estate plan for two people, they can also earn 5,000 Scene+ points. *
"Scotiabank is proud to work with Willful to help make estate planning more accessible," says Kingsley Chak, Senior Vice President, Retail Client Value, Deposits and Investments at Scotiabank. "Make a Will Month is a timely reminder for Canadians to take proactive steps to safeguard what matters most. Together with Willful, we're committed to offering support and resources that help them take meaningful steps towards securing their financial futures and planning ahead with confidence."
About Willful
Willful makes it affordable, convenient, and easy for Canadians to create a legal will and other estate planning documents online by following a clear step-by-step process. Willful's platform was developed in collaboration with leading estate lawyers, and has pricing plans starting at $99. Willful is available in all 10 provinces, with a fully bilingual offering in Quebec. Since launching in 2017, over 400,000 Canadians have trusted Willful with their estate planning journey. To get started, visit willful.co
Survey methodology
These findings are from a survey conducted by Willful from October 2nd to October 6th, 2025, among a representative sample of 1503 online adult Canadians who are members of the Angus Reid Forum. The survey was conducted in English and French. For comparison purposes only, a probability sample of this size would carry a margin of error of +/-2.53 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
*Conditions apply. Open only to Scotiabank clients who open a new account with Willful only through the link provided at https://www.scotiabank.com/ca/en/personal/programs-services/willful.html and purchase any Willful plan during the Offer Period will get 25% off the regular price (before taxes). Limit one Scene+ Bonus per client. Scene+ point bonus offer not available in Quebec. Willful's products and services are not available to Yukon, Nunavut and Northwest Territories residents.
Media Contact
Charlize Alcaraz, Willful, 1 437-983-3317, [email protected], https://www.willful.co/
SOURCE Willful
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