Do you have a Will?

bossymoo

Yes

I have a will. My husband died (he had a will too) age 35. I had our finances wrapped up and sorted within a couple of months, allowing me to deal with the emotional side for myself, our children and his parents.

I know another young widow (unmarried, but let's for arguments sake call her a widow, they lived together and had a child) who's partner hadn't made a will, nor was she named on the mortgage. It's over a year and a half since he died, everything is still a mess and she has had to move house. She has very little financial support.

When the unthinkable happens, it really is best to be clear what your wishes are and to make provision for your dependants. At the very least, a will helps whoever is sorting out your estate no end. Intestacy is a nightmare to administrate.

I agree dying intestate is rather bad manners!

willaid_press_officer

I think there is some confusion here.


You do NOT have to be over 55 to make a Will with Will Aid. You just have to be an adult.


You do need to be over 55 to make a Will with Free Wills month and on their website you have to register and then they send you details. Not so for Will Aid.
Will Aid does not insist you register - just asks for a name post code and email address so that the database can locate solicitors near to you and so you can be reminded if you tick the box.

jackieblack

Yes

bossymoo wrote: »

I know another young widow (unmarried, but let's for arguments sake call her a widow, they lived together and had a child) who's partner hadn't made a will, nor was she named on the mortgage. It's over a year and a half since he died, everything is still a mess and she has had to move house. She has very little financial support.

But that is due to not being married as much as not having a will.
Either being married or having a will would have changed that situation considerably

suejb2

No

Neither me or O. H have a will but have just looked into it and can get free wills through his union. Thanks for making me look into it.

pimento

Yes

C_Mababejive wrote: »

I think its about time there was a central registry of wills in this country. There is nothing to stop someone making a will,dying then the person who has kept the will reading it,not liking what they read then binning it in favour of the intestacy option.

My mum knows somebody who did just that (tear up a will that they didn't like the contents of).

JasX

Mojisola wrote: »

What about friends or charities who could benefit from your estate?

One warning there my family learned the hard way:

If leaving to charity always always leave them a fixed and specified sum (i.e. The sum of £XXX to charity)

Anything remotely open ended (eg "whatever is left after A, B & C" or "half" or "10% of the total" to charity) is liable to set a swarm of that charities lawyers onto your executors, if you thought chuggers were bad and hadn't yet appreciated the literal meaning of the term 'bloodsucking'...

PasturesNew

No

Mojisola wrote: »

If it had been stored with a solicitor .... it wouldn't have happened.

Not true. If it's kept at a solicitor's, you phone them up and go to collect it. You can then destroy it. It'd only be found out if somebody suspected it and knew where the will was (which solicitor's) and went snooping about and reported a will theft.

I could easily have got my parents' wills and shredded them .... then told the rest I'd looked everywhere and there wasn't one.

Mojisola

Yes

PasturesNew wrote: »

Not true. If it's kept at a solicitor's, you phone them up and go to collect it. You can then destroy it. It'd only be found out if somebody suspected it and knew where the will was (which solicitor's) and went snooping about and reported a will theft.

I could easily have got my parents' wills and shredded them .... then told the rest I'd looked everywhere and there wasn't one.

Doesn't the solicitor keep a check on its progress?

What you describe happened recently at our solicitors - the solicitors challenged the application for Letters of Adminstration and provided a copy of the will and all the notes taken during the meetings with the deceased. The copy of the will was held to be sufficient to distribute the will according to the deceased's wishes.

zagfles

No

SailorSam wrote: »

I have got one but i've been meaning to rip it up for years. The people who are in i don't want to get anything now. The thing that has put me off writing another is i'm not sure who i can have, or who i want as the Executor. I think it may have to be the bank or solicitor.

Don't make the solicitor or bank executor! Your beneficiaries are then stuck with them, and if they're rubbish, take ages, or charge loads, there's nothing they can do. Make the main beneficiaries the executor(s), they can always pay for legal advice if they need it, but they can shop around and can get rid of a rubbish/slow/expensive solicitor.

zagfles

No

I don't have a will, deliberatly. If you're happy with the rules of intestacy, and are certain you understand them, there's not a great deal of point having a will. It doesn't make things harder, I've dealt with an intestate estate and it was easier than dealing with a will.

The only thing to make sure of is that everyone knows you don't have a will! Otherwise they could waste ages searching for it!