Making a Will

Wills are important legal documents. Everyone should be advised that making a will is important.

As a Solicitor I hear every excuse under the sun as to why people aren't making a will. The most common (and difficult to understand) is the belief that "once we make our Wills we will die". Making a Will does not bring forward mortality it just means that you will be putting your affairs in order when you do eventually die.

Other reasons people come up with are:-

" We do not have time to begin making a Will. Making a Will is very simple and can be extremely quick and easy. There is no need to put it off because of lack of time. Wills can be prepared very quickly and efficiently by Solicitors. Alternatively there are solutions for online Wills which are very cheap and easy to use.
" We cannot afford to start making a Will. It is not expensive making a Will. Solicitors usually charge about £100.00 - £150.00 for mirror Wills. Alternatively online Wills can be obtained as cheaply as £30.00 plus vat.
" We don't have anyone to leave our money to. Most people can think of someone to leave their money to even if it is a distant relative. Alternatively people making a Will can leave their money to charities which is better than leaving money to the Crown (the ultimate recipient) where people do not make Wills and there are absolutely no beneficiaries.
" We don't have any money. Most people do have money or assets which justify making a will. People often forget the value of their properties. It is important to remember that where people die without making a Will their assets and money do not always go to the people they believe will benefit.

As from 1 February 2009 the statutory legacy (being the amount passing to a surviving spouse on the first death is £250,000.00 where there are children and £450,000.00 where there are no children). The surviving spouse only receives a life interest in the balance.

As you can see there is no reason for people not to make Wills which, although important legal documents, are quick, easy and cheap to put in place.

I have a blog which highlights the importance of Will writing and covers the reasons as to why one should write a Will. It was stated that over 70% of the UK population do not have a Will, therefore i set out to create a source of information online to assist those that do not have a Will and point the reasons as to why you should write a Will.