Getting a will drafted isn’t the most thrilling or pleasant thing to do. However, it’s really important. It’s especially important when you have children because as well as making financial provision for them, you are naming a legal guardian who would have responsibility for them in the event that something happens to both of you.
Wills are also very important if you’re not married or not in a civil partnership. When a person dies without leaving a valid will their estate is shared out according to certain rules. These are called the rules of intestacy. Only married couples or civil partners (and some other close relatives) can inherit under these rules.
Another thing to note is that whilst it’s fine to include your funeral wishes within a will this isn’t actually legally binding.
Will Aid month – donate to charity instead of paying a solicitor
November is Will Aid month. During this month, instead of paying a participating solicitor a fee for drafting a will/wills, you are invited to make a voluntary donation to Will Aid. The donation supports the work of nine Will Aid charities:
ActionAid, AgeUK, British Red Cross, Christian Aid, NSPCC, Save the Children, SCIAF, Sightsavers and Trócaire
The suggested donation is £100 for a basic will or £180 for a pair of basic mirror wills. To give you an idea of the usual costs, the Co-op charges from £150 for a single will and from £245 for mirror wills. It’s worth noting that the final cost is likely to be higher as these are the entry level prices.
We gave the suggested donation, so it cost significantly less than our solicitor’s usual fee and we’d given to charities – win, win.
Book in plenty of time so you can get a November appointment. You can look up participating Will Aid solicitors here.
A note on mirror wills
Mirror wills describes when a husband and wife or partners make almost identical wills. Often in these cases each person leaves everything to the other if they die. In the event that both die together then any inheritance goes directly to the children. There are various pros and cons to mirror wills and obviously everyone’s situation is different, so, as always, do your own research!
For more information visit: https://www.willaid.org.uk/
