making a will

[Princess Sue]

help - have an appointment tomorrow wth a will writer company - thought they were solicitors - what should I do? Are they any good? Or is it better to pay a solicitor.

[buildersmate]

If you are proposing to use a will writer, ask them what level of Professional Indemnity Insurance cover they possess. This insurance is what pays up in the event a professional advisor messes up. Solicitors will always have this, and a reasonable level of cover is �1m.
If they look blank, draw your own conclusion.
If your affairs are very simple, a much cheaper solution is to write your own will. A book such as "Wills and Probate" published by Which? at about �12.99 may be more than adequate for you.

[Princess Sue]

Thank you - I have used them now - as will is complicated because of step children and we are not married. She seemed to know her stuff - but I will check out the insurance today. I did go into a solicitors to enquire about will writers and the company and was told they were ok. Solicitors minimum charge was �160 for single will - will writers was �60.00 - but because we had to set up a trust - total bill for two wills was �300.00 plus a yearly �40 charge to allow you to make as many changes as you might want to (I probably will need this), or a lifetime charge of �400.00 - which might be a good option. Also an extra charge for power of attorney - 2 documents - �50 each, for each person. Have not taken this up yet - the bill all told was going to reach nearly �1000.00 ! Hope this is all good money wisely invested. Hope this info is of help to someone!