Making a Will Part One: Why do I need to make a Will?
No-one likes to think about dying, but as we all know this is the one thing in life we can be certain of. Because of our natural tendency to avoid the subject, many people who really should make a will put it off. Yet having a will can be crucial to ensuring that your wishes about what will happen to your property are followed after you die. If you don’t make a will, then the state will determine this on your behalf.
Making a will need not be a difficult or expensive process and it can afford you the peace of mind that things will be taken care of as you want once you are no longer here.
Who should make a will?
Anyone who has property or children should consider making a will, but it is especially important in the following circumstances:
- You are cohabiting with a partner and you’re not married. This is because the person you are living with does not have legal rights to a share of your property in the same way as married or civil partnered couples do.
- You have children under the age of 18. You may want to consider appointing a guardian to care for them in the event of your death. See our post on appointing a guardian for more information.
- More than one person depends on you financially and could make a claim on your estate when you die.
- You do not live permanently in Britain, or you’re not a British citizen.
- You own a business or a share of a business.
- You want to set up a trust.
At R A Savage & Co our Wills specialists are always at hand to advise you on the importance of lifetime planning and Will writing. In part two of this post, we’ll explain the steps you need to take to make a will and keep it up to date.
