In a recent article in The Times, entitled Older than your partner? You need to write a Will. Now. Holly Mead, Deputy Money Editor, outlines why she and her husband have recently decided why it is so important to write a Will.
Why don’t people write a Will?
In the article, Holly Mead explains why only about half of UK adults have a Will.
We don’t like to consider death
There is a superstitious fear that if we start talking about death, we’ll be tempting fate, so ignore the inevitable. We simply need to get this (quite straightforward) task out of the way and get on with our lives, content with the knowledge that we won’t leave our loved ones with an administrative and legal mess.
We don’t have much to leave (although we own our home)
People may assume that as they are not wealthy that it doesn’t matter – no need for a Will. However, if you own your own home, it matters. With house prices spiralling you may have assets of a greater value than you think.
Someone else can sort it out when I’m gone
Holly Mead regards this approach of not making a Will ‘as a pretty selfish approach’. It means you leave someone else with a mess of paperwork and often tortuous legal process; not to mention a question mark over who gets your property and possessions, especially if you are cohabiting.
Considering the worst-case scenario
In her article in The Times, Holly Mead considers the scenario where she and her husband die at the same time. (They have no children). She points out that if a couple dies simultaneously, the older person is assumed to die first. If this were the case, without a valid Will in place, all her husband’s assets would pass to her, and the rules of probate would determine that all her assets would pass to her parents. Her husband’s parents would receive nothing of his estate. Not something that either of them would wish.
If you make a valid Will, you can ensure your wishes are clear and discharged in the way you want.
Post-Covid virtual appointment – quick, easy, affordable
In common with the solicitors that Holly Mead and her husband consulted, Will Power offers virtual appointments or (not in common with solicitors) home visits if you prefer. Draft Wills are emailed over for confirmation, and the hard copies arrive through the post for signature. Wills can be securely stored if required.
Inheritance Tax
Holly Mead feels that ‘more people should get on with this dreadful task’ and concludes with the observation
‘For a nation fairly obsessed with worrying about inheritance tax, we often forget the importance of setting out who will be doing the inheriting.’
For the full article, please see Older than your partner? You need to write a will. Now by Holly Mead Deputy Money Editor The Times
