Will You Do What's Right For Your Family?20th Jan 2022
You Want To Protect Your Loved Ones
Most of us have insurance to safeguard against life’s uncertainties. We insure our family home, our possessions and even our very lives.
And in addition to buildings and contents cover, life assurance and the mandatory car insurance, there’s a long list of other policies that cover travel, health, disability, pets, long-term care and personal liability.
For risk-averse people, insurance is a no-brainer. They like the reassurance it offers. They want their families to be protected if something bad happens. Even if that threat never materialises.
But the sad fact is that most people fail to apply this prudence when it comes to the one thing we all know will happen for certain – death.
Safeguarding Your Family When You Die
Most people (around 60%) don’t have a will. Even though it’s an essential piece of legal protection for your family.
Regrettably, decades of nudging and nagging by generations of solicitors have fallen on deaf ears. Here are some of the myths that people still cling to – and why they should rethink:
- “I’m still young – I’ve got ages before I die, I’m not even retired.” Unless you’re an actuary, you’d be shocked how many people die before the age of 65. Nobody thinks they’ll die young – but sadly, far too many people do.
- “I don’t have time to write my will.” Yes you do. We do all the work. Simple wills can be very quick and easy.
- “Wills are expensive.” No, they’re not. Especially when you compare them against how much you spend on insurance every year (for events that may never happen).
- “Life’s too busy for me to worry about death.” Everyone’s busy. But never too busy to protect the ones we love. Remember, we do all the hard work – leaving you to concentrate on your busy life.
- “Talking about death is morbid.” No it isn’t. It’s normal, natural and sensible to plan for the inevitable. We all die sooner or later. Your family will be reassured that you want them to be looked after when your time comes.
- “It will cause a family row over who gets what.” Unlikely. In fact, rows are much more likely to happen when there’s no will, when nothing is written down and there’s no legally binding document.
- “It’ll all go to my spouse anyway under the intestacy rules.” No it won’t – not if your estate is worth more than £270,000. After that, it starts getting shared out among others in a legally defined hierarchy.
- “I don’t own much so there’s no need for a will.” Yes there is, even if you have a modest estate. A will covers more than just your possessions. It outlines your final wishes, such as your funeral arrangements.
- “What’s the point? Wills can be contested.” Not easily, not if they’ve been drawn up by an experienced wills and probate solicitor (with access to an ACTAPS contested wills solicitor with decades of experience of disputes and litigation).
- “I don’t really need a will.” Everybody needs a will. Do you really want the government to take a huge chunk of your estate in Inheritance Tax (IHT)? With a little careful planning, you can make sure more (if not all) of your estate goes to your loved ones. HM Revenue & Customs is surprisingly generous when it comes to IHT exemptions and concessions. But only if you’re aware of them. So it pays to get expert advice. Find out more here.
Wills Protect Your Loved Ones
It’s time the world stopped thinking of wills as boring bits of dusty parchment, and started seeing them as they truly are – as smart, sensible protection that is as important as insurance (but much cheaper).
Not least because the threat in question is unavoidable. So it’s time to act. It’s time to get a will – especially given the events of the last two years.
What Happens Next
If you’ve reached this point in the blog post, it’s because you’ve very sensibly realised that you can’t put off making a will any longer. All those reasons to delay in the past pale in comparison with what could happen to your family if you die without a will.
Some of you will put off a decision until later. But as we all know, ‘later’ can sometimes get swept to one side in the maelstrom of hectic daily life. ‘Later’ can all too easily become ‘never’.
Others among you will resolve to act swiftly. Good – that’s a positive start. But resolutions and actions are not the same thing. (As New Year reminds us every 12 months.)
The smart ones among you will contact us right now and discover how easy it is to make your will. Then you can sit back and relax, knowing that you’ve taken the most difficult step. The rest of it is simple and stress-free because we’ll be helping you – just as we helped these good people.
Need More Information?
Want to find out more about the will drafting process? How long it takes? How much it costs? Contact wills and probate Associate Solicitor Jenny Oxley at our Broadstone office for more details.
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This document is not intended to constitute and should not be used as a substitute for legal advice on any specific matter. No liability for the accuracy of the content of this document, or the consequences of relying on it, is assumed by the author. If you seek further information, please contact Managing Partner Neil Andrews at Coles Miller Solicitors LLP.
