“Making a will is complicated”
Making a will doesn’t need to be a complicated
process. You can see a professional and highly
skilled Will Writer in the comfort of your own home
at a time that suits you. The benefit of using a
professional Will Writer is that they will be able
to advise you every step of the way and the
complicated bits like actually writing the will and
dealing with HM Land Registry will all be handled
by your Will Writer for you. Giving your instructions
for your will can be as simple as having a chat
over a nice cup of tea.
“Making a will is morbid”
We don’t like to talk about death. It’s a topic
that can make people feel uncomfortable. That
doesn’t mean that the process of making a will
has to be a solemn affair. We prefer to look at
the positive side of writing a will. By putting a
will in place you’re giving yourself peace of mind
because you’ll know that your affairs will be in
order. You’ll also know that your family or those
who are important to you will be taken care of.
“Once I’ve written a will it can’t be changed”
This is another one that we hear quite often. There
is a general fear that once you have written a will
that’s it. Well thankfully that’s not the case! As
long as you retain the capacity to make a will you
are totally free to revoke it or to write a new will at
any point. In fact, we encourage it (see point 1)!
“I need a solicitor to write a will”
While we certainly recommend using a professional
to write your will that doesn’t need to be a solicitor.
With 1700 professional Will Writers who are SWW
members there are plenty of specialists out there
who you can be sure are properly trained, insured,
and ultimately safe to do business with.
“My family will sort everything out between
themselves once I’m gone”
The only way to guarantee that your assets pass
to who you want them to on death is to have a will.
“Wills are for the rich – I don’t have
anything to give”
Most people have something of value when
they die. You may not be rich, you may not own
your own home, but you almost definitely have
something. Whether this is some money in the
bank, jewellery, or even items that have no real
monetary value but are quite sentimental to you.
Chances are you’d want to make sure the assets
you do have end up in the right hands.
“My debts will die with me”
Wouldn’t that be nice? Unfortunately, it’s not true.
If you die with any debts outstanding these will
need to be paid from your estate. Your will can
direct where everything left over will pass and can
make specific gifts of certain assets, so they won’t
fall into the pot to be sold to cover debts unless
absolutely necessary.
“Wills are for the elderly or the ill”
While a person who is elderly or ill may require
a will more urgently, wills are for everyone over
18 with mental capacity. Writing a will shouldn’t
be put off as the longer you leave it the more
risk there is of it being too late. Even if you are at
the other end of the spectrum and are young and
healthy you can still benefit from a will, especially
if you have minor children. A will isn’t all about
distributing your assets on death, it is also an
important document to appoint guardians. These
are people who you appoint to formally take care
of your minor children if you were to die.
If you haven’t yet written a Will, or would like
to update an existing Will, speak to one of our
members. You can search for them through our
Find a Member section, or call us on 01522
687888.
Unfortunately, if you die without a will your family
will not be able to distribute your estate however
they wish. Your estate would pass according to
the rules of intestacy, which is essentially the will
that the government has written for you.
the society of will writers
17