Writing a Will
Writing a Will is the only way to ensure that what you leave behind is distributed according to your wishes. However only around 50% of people aged over 40 have a Will.
Why is writing a Will important?
Writing a Will is the only way that you can be certain that your wishes will be followed after you die. If you don’t make one, part or all of your estate may go to people who you never intended to benefit. By writing a Will you will be able to protect the future of your loved ones and appoint people you trust to manage your affairs once you’re gone.
After you’ve looked after your family and friends, you may also wish to leave a gift to a charitable cause that is close to your heart. Legacies from supporters make up a very important income stream for many charities. If you do want to leave a charitable gift when writing a will, the donation can be as small or large as you like.
Inheritance Tax legislation also means that if you don’t prepare properly, a substantial part of what you leave behind may go to the state. Without a Will, you have no control over what happens and the Court will decide how your property and possessions are distributed.
How should I go about writing a Will?
Writing a Will is easy and inexpensive when drafted by a properly qualified professional. You should check that the professional you choose:
- Is trained and qualified to write a Will
- Has undertaken ongoing training to write Wills
- Has professional indemnity insurance of at least £2 million
- Is a member of an organization that has an independent complaints procedure.
Solicitors who are members of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners and willwriters who are members of the Institute of Professional Willwriters meet these requirements.
You can also find more useful information in our links that might help when writing a will.
What about home-made or online Wills?
Whilst it is possible to write your own Will, Wills can be complex and some mistakes could make the Will invalid. This can result in long and expensive court cases to resolve matters. In addition you may accidently omit important details when writing a Will, such as what should happen if the main beneficiary does not survive.
It is also possible to write a Will online, but you should remember that a will is an individual and personal document that is tailored to suit your particular needs, which may be difficult for an online system to cater for.
