Some people ask me why can’t I write my Will using one of the ‘off the shelf’ kits that can be found in high street stationers.
I always answer – well, you can! Anyone can write a Will but also anyone can get things wrong!
Let me tell you a story about a gentleman who decided that getting a Professional Will was too expensive and time consuming. He instead bought a DIY will and set about filling out the forms and filed it away in a drawer – happy that he had saved himself time and money!
Fifteen years later, the gentleman passed away and his family set about organizing his affairs ……they took the will from the drawer and immediately noticed errors.
- The Will had not been dated.
- The Will had not been signed by the witnesses.
- The Will was invalid!
Months of stress, visits to solicitors and eventually family fall-outs ensued.
The gentleman may have saved himself time and money but he unwittingly heaped a lot of extra cost, time and stress on to his family.
So often the consequences of making your own Will don’t come to light until after you die.
Results can be devastating for your family members.
There are many simple mistakes which can be made using a DIY Will kit and whilst they may seem relatively minor, in reality, they can render your Will null and void and mean that you die intestate. This leaves the Government to determine how to divide your estate.
The effects of dying intestate can mean that your spouse will only inherit a percentage of your total estate. This can result in financial issues which were completely unintentional on your part
If both you and your partner die and your children need a legal guardian, if your Will is not valid due to a mistake your children may be placed into care and a court will decide where they will live without any of your wishes being considered.
So please think twice about saving a few pounds now – your Last Will and Testament is one of the most important tasks you will ever undertake.
