Will Aid: Get a free will in November

gizz_mo

In the FAQ section on the Will Aid website it says...

"Broadly speaking, for Will Aid, a basic Will is suitable for anyone whose assets are below the inheritance tax threshold (2009-2010 tax year: £325,000 or £650,000 if your spouse pre-deceased you and did not use up their inheritance tax free allowance) and/or they are simply leaving their assets to a few family members and friends and perhaps leaving a legacy to charity. If for example, any trusts need to be set up or financial or estate-planning advice given, then this would be considered outside the basic Will."

So my question is - I am single with no spouse, partner or offspring - but my assets are over the inheritance tax threshold. Additionally if I want to include my niece and nephew as beneficiaries, it would need to be held in trust until they are old enough. Does this mean that a Will Aid basic will is not suitable for me?

Thanks for your help.

notso_2

So far my experience hasn't endeared me to any solicitors. I contacted the first solicitor on the list of 'nearest Will Aid solicitors' and although they got back to me reasonably promptly (two days) they stated that they no longer carried out any Will writing under the Will Aid scheme.
Not to be deterred I then contacted by email the next solicitor on the list. That was nearly a week ago and still no reply.
I've now sent email messages to ALL the solicitors on the list (barring those in a couple of towns) hoping against hope that at least one solicitor will respond!
I'm sure I'll get a reply from someone here saying "why don't you phone?" but I'm an email man myself, not a phone man.

kaligand

Seeing this willaid mularky has come round again I thought I would post my advice based on my expereince with a Bradford firm earlier this year. I advise that you make sure that your solicitor specifies exactly any additional costs over and above the Willaid donation and when they are incurred. Mine didn't. They also sent me unnecessary advice (at my cost). I was already pretty clued up so was not happy. Also was not happy to find that the Terms & Conditions stated they would receive 1% of the estate. Read these carefully. It was written in tiny type and didn't seem to be 'optional'. The solicitor said that they make no money out of the will but hope to get this 1%. He said they did not need to be appointed at that stage, but the T & C's did not make that clear. Be careful and don't assume anything.

penny41

callled a solicitor yesterday and was told that the donation is made via your will !!!!

and the solicitor then gets paid by the charity !!!!

anyone else had this experience ?

penny41

dont think i WILL bother lol

willaid_press_officer

Hi Penny41
Many charity schemes do operate on the basis that you leave money to the charity in your Will.
Will Aid does not - although you are, of course, very welcome to leave a legacy to one of the Will Aid charities or indeed any other charity.
Will Aid operates on a donation basis, as you will have read. The solicitor you phoned is obviously confused. If you would like to send me by private message the solicitor's details I will see that they are phoned.

Pee

If you are not making a donation to WillAid - or are making a donation of less than the suggested amount - you are depriving the Charity of money. By all means do this if you feel your needs are greater than the charities.

This scheme is about solicitors donating their time to help a charity, but it seems to be looked at as a free way to get a Will.

SoorAurora

Pee wrote: »

If you are not making a donation to WillAid - or are making a donation of less than the suggested amount - you are depriving the Charity of money. By all means do this if you feel your needs are greater than the charities.

This scheme is about solicitors donating their time to help a charity, but it seems to be looked at as a free way to get a Will.

Pee, although there are people who will take something for free and ignore the opportunity to do good through donation, this comment misses the point that Charity tends to be 'that which can be afforded'.

If someone needs the benefit of this scheme but cannot make the full suggested amount as a donation, they should not be denied the opportunity to do good for charity within their present financial ability (and possibly leave a legacy), whilst also doing good to the loved ones they will leave behind in grief by making a secure will where they might not otherwise be able to do so.

Giving as much as you can afford can surely never be classed as 'depriving' a charity.

Pee

If you can afford £10, you are taking a place on the scheme where another person may have donated £110.

Solicitors cannot donate an endless amount of their time, so it is rationed.

If all you can afford is £10 or even nothing, but you have a big house and after you die you would like that to be used say 50% for the benefit of the WillAid charities, then of course you should use the scheme to make the Will and you will be doing a lot of good.

However poor you are, I doubt you are quite as poor as the people helped by the WillAid charities. You could always donate £10 a month for a year...

garffy13

I have just received a call from the solicitors that are in Swindon, that are listed on the Will aid website, and was disappointed to hear that they will only make the appointment if £140 was donated for a joint will.

Now, this is actually more than what is suggested - and the reason why we have not yet made a will, is because we can not afford to!! We would love to have had our will drawn up, and for us to raise some money for charity, however, we can not afford the suggested £110, let alone the £140 that was quoted this morning!

Oh well, will have to hope we dont die for another year.