Wills and Estate Planning

There can be few things in life more important than providing for your family when you are not there to look after them. It’s amazing how, when people are faced with such a potentially difficult and important decision, they seem content to buy a DIY Wills kit or shop round for the cheapest possible service. You simply cannot use cost as the main criteria for assistance when making a Will.

Making a Will is only part of the process of looking after your family. When you attend with us, we will explain how you can deal with some of your assets during your life to ensure that your loved ones obtain the maximum benefit from your property and your estate. We will look at the property that you own, and discuss with you how you can adjust your ownership of it to ensure that it won’t form part of your estate on death. This means that your family could have instant access to your property and not have to wait until your entire estate is administered (see Estates).

The alternative to making a Will is to die ‘Intestate’, which is where the law sets down how your estate is administered. This means that you have no control over who benefits, and items that you may have wanted to be left to one person are distributed among other beneficiaries that you did not expect.

If you have had a previous relationship, you need to be particularly mindful of exactly who your next of kin may be. If you are separated but not divorced and are living with a new partner, your spouse remains your next of kin, with often undesirable results.

Making a Will can be as simple or as complex as you wish to make it. Contact Philip Armstrong for further information.