Estate planning is simply a matter of putting your affairs in order before you die. It can actually be simple to implement and the peace of mind it affords you and your family, not to mention the money that can be saved, makes it incredibly worthwhile.

Making a Will is not top of everybody’s To Do List, however it is an absolute must for anyone who has loved ones, whom they wish to protect. Despite its importance, many people delay making a Will for several reasons.

Some incorrectly believe that assets are automatically inherited by their loved ones upon their death, whilst others feel a Will is only for the elderly. However there is a danger that delaying matters can cause serious problems for the loves ones for those left behind having to deal with matters.

Ensuring your wishes are expressed correctly means that you are likely to reduce the probability of loved ones arguing over who benefits from you estate. You can ensure that the people that you wish to benefit from certain assets do so, thus providing Peace of Mind.

Another hugely important reason for having a Will is to ensure that individuals and/or couples have denoted Guardians to look after their children should anything happen to them. This is very important as again it avoids disputes between family members and it can avoid the possibility of children being taken into care, whilst the appropriate bodies decide on who is most suited to look after them.

The answer to this is everybody over the age of 18. In particular, anybody with;

• Assets
• Children
• Children from previous relationships
• Family
• In a Relationship

Not necessarily. This depends on the size of your Estate. Partners do not necessarily always inherit everything that you own.

Dying without having a valid Will in place, means that your Estate will be dealt with ‘Intestate’. This is the process of dealing with an Estate where no valid Will was in place at the time of death, and in such cases the Laws of Intestate will apply.

You can find that;

• If you are not married then your Partner could find that they receive nothing from your Estate
• Children from any previous relationships may not inherit anything
• Ex husbands and wives may claim a share on your Estate
• Children under the age of 18 could be taken into Care whilst appropriate Guardians are assessed
• People may benefit from your Estate who you don’t necessarily want benefiting

You can make a Will by yourself, however if the Will is poorly drafted, doesn’t make certain provisions or is not signed correctly, then this could cause many complications. It is better if your Will is drafted by Professionals you can ensure that your wishes are correctly recorded.

Give us a Call on 0333 300 1882 or email us at info@millerreeves.com or complete the Contact Form and one of our Professional Consultants will be in contact to help you and answer any questions which you may have.