Making a will is something that many of us are likely to put off because we don't like to contemplate our own death. And that's understandable.

But, in actual fact, you are never too young to think about making a will, and if you do make a will, you will make life a lot easier for your loved ones after you are gone.

By making a will you are ensuring that, on your death, your estate (in other words your money, property, possessions, and everything else that you leave behind) is divided up according your wishes, rather than according to the rules that apply if someone dies without making a will.

Making a will also provides opportunities to avoid or minimise inheritance tax - thus ensuring that you leave as much as possible to your nearest and dearest and as little as possible to the tax man. Click here for more in depth information on inheritance tax planning.

There are three ways that you can go about making a will:

1. You can write it yourself, but this is risky because if you don't follow the correct procedures your will may end being invalid - and by the time the problems are discovered it will be too late for you to do anything about it.
   
   
2. You can use an online will-writing service such as this one. This is a low cost way of doing things and can often be just as good as having a bespoke will professionally drafted by a solicitor or will-writer.
   
   
3. You can use the services of a professional will-writer or a solicitor. The costs will be higher, but you will have the opportunity to ask questions and tailor your will to exactly match your requirements. You will also have the reassurance that your will has been properly drafted and checked for any problems that may render it invalid. If you would like to arrange a no-obligation discussion with a professional will-writer, please click here.

A lot of people assume that if they don't make a will, their spouse and/or their children will automatically get everything when they pass away. But that is not necessarily the case.

If die without having made a will and you have no surviving spouse or blood relatives, then your entire estate will pass to the Crown (technically the Queen, but in reality the taxman).

If you are married or have blood relatives and you die without making a will, then your relatives will have to apply to the courts before your estate can be distributed. This can be an expensive and drawn-out process and is something which can be avoided by making a will.

If you have children, you can use your will to specify who will look after them if you and the other parent both die. Without a will, it will be left to the courts to decide.

If you are living with a partner, but are unmarried, then your partner will get nothing if you die without making a will.

Here are some examples of what can happen if you die without making a will.

Example 1 - Cohabiting (unmarried) and no children

Your partner will inherit nothing when you die.

Example 2 - Married, but no children

If your estate is worth less than £200,000 then it all passes to your spouse. If you leave more than £200,000 then your spouse only gets the first £200,000 plus a life interest in half the remainder. The balance of your estate would pass to your parents (if still alive) or to your brothers/sisters if you have any.

Example 3 - Married with children

Your spouse inherits the first £125,000 plus a life interest in half the remainder. Whatever is left over (i.e. half of the amount over £125,000) goes to your children.


By making a will you can ensure that things happen according to your wishes, rather than following the set rules used in the examples above. To find out more, please click here to arrange a no-obligation confidential discussion with a qualified will-writer.

If you have already made a will in the past, when did you last check it was up to date? Changes in circumstances may mean that it now needs revising in order to meet your current family or financial situation. For example, you may have had children since making your will, and so would now benefit from nominating guardians in your will.

Or maybe you have got married since making your will? If so, then your old will is no longer valid because marriage automatically revokes any existing will.

For advice on making or changing your will, just click here and we will pass your details in confidence to a professional will-writer who will be happy to have a no-obligation discussion with you.