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We would advise that every person makes a Will during their lifetime. It give you the opportunity to state who you would like to benefit from your estate when you have passed away. You can also appoint executors, guardians and include your funeral wishes.

By making a Will, you are ensuring that your family will be taken care of and making the administration process much simpler.

If you die without a valid Will, you will have died “intestate”. Legislation will then stipulate who takes receipt of your estate. This could result in your spouse, partner or children losing out, and your estate instead passing to people that you would not have chosen.

Things are also more time-consuming and complex when a Will is not in place. This can cause additional stress for your family, at what is already a very difficult time.

Under the Wills Act 1837, in order for a Will to be legally binding it must be:

– made by a person who is 18 years of age or older, and who has their mental capacity;
– in writing; signed by the person making the Will and witnessed by two independent people;
– made of the person’s own volition, without pressure or coercion.

A witness cannot be a beneficiary of the Will, nor married to someone who will benefit. We normally advise that clients use close friends or neighbours as witnesses.

The witnesses are there to confirm that the Will was signed by the testator (the person making the Will), and that they knew what they were doing i.e. they were not under any undue influence or pressure to do so.

“Mirrored” Wills are commonly made by unmarried or married couples. Each person has their own document, but the wishes contained within them will be pretty much identical. For example, a “mirrored” Will may say that a couple want to leave everything to each other first, but then when both of them have passed away, the estate should pass to their children.

This is a term used to describe what assets of yours are left after any gifts, debts, tax funeral costs and other testamentary expenses have been paid.

The remainder of your assets are then distributed to your beneficiaries. This could include: your bank accounts, property and personal possessions.

Your residuary estate does not include things such as jointly owned property or bank accounts. It would also not include pensions or life insurance policies that have been written into trust – you would normally have nominated someone to receive these when you set them up.

You have to be at least 18 years of age to receive any inheritance that you may have been left. Sometimes clients feel that 18 years of age is still too young, and will instead opt for 21 or 25. Where a person is under the age of 18 (or whatever age you have specified), their inheritance would be looked after for them by trustees. The trustees would have the discretion to distribute money to them as and when they see fit. Once the child has attained the age of 18 or older, they will then become responsible for their inheritance and make all the decisions for themselves.

An Executor is someone who deals with the administration of your estate. You will appoint these people in your Will, and they are most likely to be close relatives or friends. For more complicated estates, it is not uncommon for someone to appoint a professional to act as their Executor.

An Executor is responsible for the following:
– Finding your Will;
Locating and valuing your assets;
Paying off any debts that there may be at that time;
Distributing the remainder of your assets (your residuary estate) to your beneficiaries.

A trustee is someone who looks after your property until a given time in the future. For example, where money has been left to a child, and they are unable to inherit until they attain a certain age.

Trustees must act with honesty, and integrity. Their responsibilities include: taking control of trust property, to safeguard such property and to act in the best interests of the beneficiaries.

A guardian is someone that you appoint to look after your child/children if something happens to you whilst they are under the age of 18.

If you pass away leaving young children, and you have not appointed a guardian, it will then become the role of the courts to find someone suitable to care for them. This could mean that someone other than who you would like is appointed to look after them.

No, but it is a good way of letting your executors what kind of funeral you would like. We would recommend that you discuss your preferences with your family too.