Making A Will

[Coppit]

There is an article in today's Daily Mail about wills, where it seems wise to escape onerous charges where a bank has appointed itself as executor.
There is no mention of rewriting the will oneself and including the words, 'I hereby revoke all former wills and testaments made by me'.
Does this sentence not have legal effect?

[Coppit]

I should have added, Apart from courtesy, is there any need to inform the bank that they have effectively been sacked?

[waterboatman]

You don't need to. But it would be wise.

[rowanwitch]

It would make sense to tell them or it could cause delays if someone acting on a later will comes in to close accounts. They might ask for copies of the will, and want their legal team to check it out.

[Peter Pedant]

hey this is Chris' day really innit ?
Chris Buenchico as a retd will writer has said that for oo 30y - [dont include the bank as exec in your will that is!]

varioius points arise which have not been covered
a) the bank doesnt appoint itsself - you do- by signing their will
b) the bank as exec is allowed to charge under the Trustees Act 2013 and Mrs Mopp as exec isnt. The bank charges and charges and charges ( £200/h is common ) a\s it is allowed to do by statute
c) I hereby revoke blah blah blah - is necessary - for us Brits. An LC (Lord Chancellor that is !) has commented that litigation over this phrase has poured more money into lawyers pockets than anything else. [ONLY those with property in two countries and therefore not with a unified will that works in both countries BUT two wills - one for each country has to omit these words - but hey if they are writing their own wills then they lack capacity anyway!]

and finally d)
//Does this sentence not have legal effect?//
oops you have done a Trump mis-speak there!
Does this sentence have legal effect?
yes it does - see above

er that is about it - anything else ?

and yes I have rewritten my will and omitted words I didnt like ( the firm being exec )

oh remember you have to sign IN FRONT of two witnesses
( they cannot be there later on - it MUST be at the time)

[Peter Pedant]

No you dont have to tell them
and when they ask
say they arent involved. - I suppose you might say there is a later will. wills are private UNTIL probate is granted and then they are public

(bitter experience from trying to get an exec to admit I was a beneficiary. In the end I wrote - "things have changed. The will is published and I find as I said I am a beneficiary for X and I want X"

and as cool as a cucumber he said - "X has been given away I regret to charity, soon after his death." Less cool as I muttered very loudly - breach of trust, even more uncool as I mentioned Law Society for malpractice]

[Peter Pedant]

no a bank has no power to say - "I must to see the will and have it inspected by my legal team in case, my earlier one is better."

[and if they do they may charge]

[bednobs]

banks cannot appoint themselves as executors!

[BestAdvice]

No-one can appoint themselves as executors of a will.....otherwise I could do the same to the Queen. The bank has no right to see any new will nor to check it in any way....a letter terminating them as executors is sufficient.

Your will is how you chose to gift your assets and property. Write a new will...preferably with a solicitor involved and get friends who won't get anything from it to witness your signature. That's when you tell the bank in writing they are fired.

You don't need to appoint the solicitor as an executor...the choice of executor is up to you.

[woofgang]

the solicitor who wrote my will specifically advised me NOT to appoint him or his firm or the bank as executors.