Wanted - Free or cheap will

bhughes_2

bit morbid i know - but does anyone know anywhere that sells cheap wills that you can write yourself? Even the ones in WH Smith are £16.95 now - or better still any free ideas?

moving in with my BF and we both need to have one.

TY

tpsjrm

Hi bhughes.
Go to your local reference library and ask to see their copy of the WHICH book called "Making your Will". Not only will it give excellent advice, it also has copies of the basic will form that you can photocopy at the library, ready for doing your own will.
However, only do this if your wills are very straightforward. If you've got ex-spouses and/or children, go to a solicitor., it's safer.

keira3ellie7mnth

I got one from tesco a while back for £9, good luck for the future.

elsien

Do either of you belong to a union, as they usually offer a free will writing service?

judy2357

Its worth asking around at your local Solicitors because quite often they have different schemes for free Wills eg Cancer Research. I think the idea is for you to leave something to the Charity but it isnt compulsory in some cases. I think the Cancer Research scheme is for people above the age of 55. The Stroke Association do something similar.

SpEnDaHoLiC_2

I was looking into something myself too. I bought a pack from Tesco too, but think it will be too difficult to do as we have kids. Think I'm going to find a solicitor.

Some bank accounts offer a free will writing service too. My Mum upgraded at Barclays, made the will, waited for it to go through and then down graded again. Think it cost her £14.99 for the month's upgrade and a proper solicitor wrote the will out for her. There were obviously other benefits for that month too! xx

judy2357

SpEnDaHoLiC wrote: »

I was looking into something myself too. I bought a pack from Tesco too, but think it will be too difficult to do as we have kids. Think I'm going to find a solicitor.

Some bank accounts offer a free will writing service too. My Mum upgraded at Barclays, made the will, waited for it to go through and then down graded again. Think it cost her £14.99 for the month's upgrade and a proper solicitor wrote the will out for her. There were obviously other benefits for that month too! xx

I may be wrong but if Banks deal with the probate once the person has died, especially if a bank official is the Executor they are more expensive than Solicitors, so although the initial Will may be cheaper the Bank probably benefits in the long run.

Debt_Free_Dreamer

judy2357 wrote: »

I may be wrong but if Banks deal with the probate once the person has died, especially if a bank official is the Executor they are more expensive than Solicitors, so although the initial Will may be cheaper the Bank probably benefits in the long run.

Barclays should pay for the will to be written as part of their 'Additions Account' benefits. I do not think you have to name them as executors.

But I agree, you don't want/need Banks or Solicitors to be your executors. Far too expensive. We looked at having a Solcitor when my dad died without a will (misinformed by the bank that we had to). She wanted 1.5% of the house, 1% of any cash and £12 per letter. I wrote over 100 letters to deal with his estate. :eek: Well he did have over 15 credit cards! and loads of bank accounts.

We nearly died when the nurses told us at the hospital, but as it turned out he must have been a card tart and kept moving the money around as the vast majority has zero balances. :T :T Good Old Dad....

redagila

bhughes wrote: »

bit morbid i know - but does anyone know anywhere that sells cheap wills that you can write yourself? Even the ones in WH Smith are £16.95 now - or better still any free ideas?

moving in with my BF and we both need to have one.

TY

There is usually a week in November, I think, when you can have a free will written by a solicitor. The idea is that they give their time and you make a bequest to a charity.
I agree with earlier posts that unless you need a very simple will it is better to consult a solicitor to avoid any problems. They usually do a lower price if you are having "mirror" wills. Ask for recommendations locally or your CAB might be able to help.
Remember to check that your executors are happy to do this work as not everyone is confident with the paperwork involved but avoid professionals unless you have a complicated estate as they want payment which can sometimes be very high.
We used a solicitor & she gave good advice for our circumstances.
Having said that, I wrote a will for our terminally ill son - he had property and other assets and was about to get married (which meant the will needed to cover that event) but I kept it simple & there were no problems at Probate.
My daughter had been living with her partner for 20 years until he was killed in an accident and they didn't have wills - were going to make them the next month! This was a nightmare because it meant his next of kin legally were his parents & it was not an easy time resolving all the problems this brought.
So well done in making your wills and good luck for the future.

duncans_mum

I have two different proformas for wills, to make them legal they have to be signed by two people. I couldnt do them as a word attachment so I have pm'd bhughes with copies. I anyone else wants one (or if anyone can tell me how to attach the word doc) let me know

System

This might sound like an odd question, but if I trusted my kids couldn't I transfer my property etc. over to them now? It would save a lot of hasssle and money in the long run ...