Now that the nights have drawn in and our thoughts are firmly heading towards Christmas and the festive period, many of us are lucky enough to have close family or friends that we are looking forward to sharing this special time with. It’s those very people that we need to consider when preparing our Wills. This is the same whether we have done a Will before or if we’re getting on with this important task for the very first time. Those without family or close friends may wish to consider suitable charities or organisations to benefit in the event of their death; Christmas it seems brings charity in to focus also.
Couples with children need to consider who would care for their children if the unthinkable happened; guardians can become a huge bone of contention if children suddenly have no surviving parents as, in some cases anyway, many family members may want to have the children. In some cases of course, the opposite may be true. Preparing a Will raises issues such as this; it ensures that the important conversations take place prior to any such misfortune occurring.
At Illuminate Legal we often help families protect those closest to them for the future by preparing a ‘future-proof’ Will that covers a number of eventualities; it is important that your Will deals with the potentially difficult questions so that it works as you would hope in the event of your death. A number of points below are typically raised when Rebecca takes instructions from her clients for their Wills:-
- Who would look after any money or property if you were to die? If you would want your children to live in the property, how would this be funded? Who would live there with them? Do you have any life insurance/death in service benefit that would pay out a capital/income payment to assist with this? It is important to consider the practical implications of what you may wish to happen in the event of your death.
- Do you have any children/dependants from a previous relationship that you need to make provision for? How would your death affect them, even if your current spouse/partner survived you?
- If you don’t have children, who are those closest to you who you would want to inherit your assets? Do both you and any spouse/partner have the same wishes on this? How would joint assets be affected?
- What happens with any pensions if you die? Do they die with you? Does a spouse benefit? If so, is this a capital/income payment?
- Do you have any pets, including horses, chickens, dogs and cats? Who would care for these if you die? Would this be practical or indeed become a financial burden for that person?
Solicitors often have a bad name for ‘blinding’ clients with complex words; as an experienced solicitor, Rebecca at Illuminate Legal can have an honest, clear and open discussion with you when preparing your Will. She knows that every family is different and will aim to provide a tailored service to suit your needs for now and for the future.
Rebecca Reid – Phone: 07508 082415 or email
