We seek to provide advice and assistance in drafting appropriate wills to ensure that clients are not left leaving inappropriate Wills or no Wills at all and seek to promote the importance of creating a will.
What is a Will?
A Will is an important legal document that ensures that the people you want to inherit get what you want them to have. Unfortunately, many people believe that their inheritance will go to their spouse automatically, however this is not always the case. Therefore a properly documented Will ensures your inheritance is distributed as you would wish.
A Will can also be written for other legal matters, such as to appoint an appropriate guardian for any children under the age of 18.
What happens if I die without making a Will?
Below are some consequences of not writing a Will. Though this list is not exhaustive, it certainly gives a few reasons why it is imperative for anyone to write a Will.
- There could be confusion and disagreement among those left behind resulting in stress amongst those members and even costly legal bills
- Your family could possibly suffer financial hardships due to the delays (even years) in dealing with your estate
- Your spouse will not necessarily inherit the entire claim – Your children may be entitled to claim a share which would mean that your spouse receives less and may be forced to sell their home
- Even if you don’t live with your spouse and are separated, they may be entitled to make a claim on your inheritance
- If your spouse re-marries, their new partner may inherit half of everything they initially inherited from you – They do not necessarily have to spend any of that on your children and furthermore may exclude them altogether should they make a Will themselves to that effect
- If your spouse re-marries, their new partner may inherit half of everything they initially inherited from you – They do not necessarily have to spend any of that on your children and furthermore may exclude them altogether should they make a Will themselves to that effect
- Your assets could be worth more than you anticipated – By not taking the appropriate measures to lower Inheritance Tax, Inland Revenue could take that money which could have gone to your family