Tim Creighton, Director
Making a Will is veryimportant to your family. This simple legal document can be the differencebetween your family having to deal with a legal minefield after you die orcomplete peace of mind regarding your family’s finances.
Once you have madeyour Will and put all your wishes in the document is it important to take anumber of steps to protect it. These are:
1. Where is your Will? Tell your family where it is – it is no good making a Will if you don’t tell anyone where to find it. If when you die your will cannot be located then you will be treated as having no Will, which is called intestacy. This means that your wishes are not taken into account and your estate will be divided as the laws of intestacy state. This could mean that people will inherit from your Will that you did not intend.
2. Is it indestructible? – paper documents are susceptible to flooding and fires, and both of these can pose a very real threat to your Will. If you just keep it in a drawer or box at home there is no certainty that by the time you die it will still be there and in a condition that can be executed. If you have your Will drafted by a solicitor, they will usually store your Will for you in a fireproof and water proof environment so it is completely protected from harm.
3. Keep it current – putting your Will in a drawer once you have made it will not protect it or your family. You should be careful to update it every time a life event changes your circumstances. If you get divorced, you will not want all of your estate to go to your ex-spouse and there is a chance this can happen if you don’t update your Will. Marriages, divorces, new children, step children or even grandchildren could prompt you to make a change.
In summary, keepingyour Will safe from harm, up to date and in a place that your family can easilylocate it in will make their lives much easier when they are going through adifficult time after losing you.
For more information about this articleor any aspect of our Wills, Probate & Trusts services (including Care homefees recovery and powers of attorney), please give Tim Creighton a call on 0289077 4500 (there is no charge for initial telephone discussions).
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