making a will

margaretclare

I completely agree with Grebe above. Having been through widowhood myself, I know that the 'balance of the mind' is not quite what it normally is, grief affects the most logical and sensible person in unknown ways and it's better to let the grieving process at least partly work its way through before making any major decisions.

I've also been told that badly-written wills are what cause solicitors most headaches and therefore cost most money to sort out! Saving a bit upfront might mean spending a lot later on.

HTH

Gaia

My commiserations on your loss!

It really depends on what you want. My mum's Will was really simple, after funeral expenses everything was left to my brother and me, to divide as we saw fit, and we were named as the executioners. That was it, short and sweet, on one of those forms you can buy from newsagents/stationary shops. There were no problems whatsoever and we took it to the probate office ourselves, who granted us probate and gave us lots of (free) advice. Didn't cost a penny (apart from buying the form). Luckily my brother and I are really close and there were no arguments or disagreements. And although sorting out the stuff with the banks, pensions etc was time-consuming, it wasn't difficult.

If she wants anything more complicated, go to a solicitor - especially if there are large values or complicated splits involved - and if she needs estate planning or a trust she definitely needs professional advice. And maybe wait a short while before taking any decisions, losing a loved one is hard and one needs a chance to start to grieve.

Which reminds me - I haven't done one yet and definitely know whom I don't want to get anything.

Gaia