Act now to take advantage of Free Wills Month
More than half of UK adults don’t have a will, despite the fact that dying without one can cause huge complications for loved ones.
Many people believe that they don’t need to write a will because their affairs are very simple, or they think they don’t have enough assets to make it worthwhile. However, if you don’t have a dill in place when you die, your possessions may not go to who you want them to. That’s because the intestacy laws will apply, which means that your spouse is entitled to receive everything in your estate, including your personal possessions, up to the first £250,000. If your estate is worth more than this, then anything above £250,000 is split, with half going to your spouse, and the other half going to your children once they reach the age of 18
Plan ahead with our Will referral service from Age Partnership Group Limited
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If you aren’t married and die intestate, even if you have lived with a partner for many years, they won’t legally be entitled to any of your possessions. Instead, any children you have will receive the proceeds of your entire estate once they reach the age of 18. If you don’t have any living relatives when you die and you don’t have a will in place, your estate will go to the crown.
A spokesman for Canada Life said: “It may feel like there are many reasons not to make a will, whether that be having time on your side, not having ‘enough’ wealth to pass on, it being a cost you could do without or unfounded assumptions that your estate will be divided up equally and as you see fit, without a will in place.
“However, it’s important to look beyond the short-term pain of having to think and talk about your own mortality as writing a will, will inevitably mean a long-term gain for your loved ones, when they do not have to worry about or deal with a huge additional burden, if the worst happens.”
October is it’s Free Wills Month, so if you’re aged 55 or over and the cost of writing a will has been putting you off, now may be the perfect time to act. The Free Wills scheme is backed by various charities such as the PDSA, Age UK and the NSPCC, so participating solicitors won’t charge you when they write your will, but they will ask you to consider leaving something to one of these charities in your will. All you need to do is enter your details on the Free Wills Month website to find the participating charities and solicitors near you.
Plan ahead with our Will referral service from Age Partnership Group Limited
Set up a Lasting Power of Attorney here
If you don’t think you’re going to get organised in time to take advantage of Free Wills Month in October, then don’t despair, as Will Aid begins in November, when participating solicitors across the UK also waive their fee for writing a basic Will. In place of the fee, you’re asked to pay suggested donation of £100 for a single basic Will or £180 for a pair of basic matching or mirror Wills. Although solicitors’ fees vary round the country, most would charge considerably more than the suggested donation amount.
Donations are split between seven partner charities which are Age UK, British Red Cross, Christian Aid, NSPCC, Save the Children, SCIAF (Scotland) and Trocaire (N. Ireland).