The risks of not having a Last Will and Testament

Here are a few examples of what can go wrong if you do not make a will:

• David’s parents died within a few months. He and his sister were left a large sum each. Unfortunately, this meant that David was no longer eligible for state benefits, a situation that could have been avoided if his parents had set up a Discretionary Trust in their wills, giving him income payments that don’t affect his benefits.
• Ivy had 6 grandchildren. She wanted them each to have something from her house as a memento, but as she hadn’t made a will, everything was sold and the grandchildren had nothing to remember her by.
• Helen’s career took off after her separation from Mike. Unfortunately she died in a car crash before she had made a new will, leading to a lengthy and expensive legal case for her family.
• Asha and Steve had been living together for years but hadn’t married, so when Asha died of cancer Steve found he had no rights to her assets and had to leave their rented house.
• Alan had children from a previous marriage. When he died, Kath inherited everything as he had not made a will. A Trust in his will would have protected the inheritance of Alan’s children.
• Harry had to go into a care home as he couldn’t manage by himself any longer. The fees were so high that his house was sold and when he died there was nothing left for his son to inherit, so he couldn’t give his father the wonderful send-off Harry had planned.
• Susan had no family and wanted to leave everything to her best friend Amy, who had nursed her through her illness; however, as Sue hadn’t written a will, she died intestate, and with no relatives, all her estate went to the Crown, against her wishes.
• Benjamin hadn’t written a will but before he succumbed to dementia he had been adamant he wanted a natural burial in a wicker coffin with no ceremony. His wife Avril had pre-deceased him though, and his only surviving relative, a distant cousin, Seb, organised a grand church funeral he would have hated.

These are all scenarios that could easily be avoided by writing your last will and testament.

It’s bad enough when someone dies, but to then have to deal with settling someone’s estate with no clear idea of what assets there are or what their wishes would have been is a very big headache indeed, especially added to grief and possibly fear of their own future. And these sorts of headache tend to be time consuming and expensive. So take that step and arrange to have your will written for you in your own home to give you and your loved ones peace of mind.

FREE Wills Guide

If you would like further information on wills, we've produced a handy FREE guide, click here for more details.

To arrange a Will planning appointment at your home call us on 01242 255125 or email us at joan@graysgroup.co.uk.