IF you haven’t made a Will, the law dictates how your possessions are divided up. If you are married, your husband or wife may not inherit everything you own, and if you are single with no close family, all that you have could pass to the State. By making a Will you can decide for yourself what will happen to your estate, and you could avoid unnecessary worry and complications for those you leave behind
AMONGST other things, you can deal with the following:
You can choose executors. These are the people that will carry out the instructions in the Will. You sometimes need only one executor though it is common to appoint at least two, who may be family or friends. There is no reason why a beneficiary cannot also be an executor. If the Will or your family circumstances are complicated you might like to appoint professional executors. Windeatts do provide this service in which we are both expert and sympathetic.
If you have young children it is important to consider the appointment of a guardian to look after them should both parents die while the children are under the age of 18. You should also consider creating a trust and appointing trustees to look after your estate until your children are old enough to inherit.
Your Will can make legacies to family, friends or charities of your choice.
If you wish, you can also give directions about your funeral, and whether you wish to be buried or cremated.
IT is true that you can write your own Will at home. Wills come in all shapes and sizes, and while the Court has accepted a Will written on an egg-shell this sort of Will is to be avoided if at all possible! Even the most simple homemade Will may in fact be worthless because it doesn’t follow the strict legal requirements. With a professionally drawn up Will you can be sure that your wishes will be carried out.
YES. If you want to make a simple change, you can do so by using a separate document called a "codicil" but it is often better to make a completely new Will. It is a good idea to keep your Will under review, so if you have made a Will five years ago or more, have a look at it – you may be surprised! It is perhaps not widely known that if you marry your Will is revoked, and if you divorce the terms of the Will may be very significantly changed automatically. If you think that this may apply to you then please ask for advice.
YOU might find it convenient when making your Will to also make a Lasting Power of Attorney in case you ever need help managing your money or property while you are alive. You might also find it helpful to carry out a financial review, and if so we shall be pleased to arrange a meeting with an Independent Financial Adviser either at this office or at your home at a time to suit you. Any such meeting would be free and entirely without obligation on your part. Please ask for more details.
CLICK on one of the links below and we will contact you.