I still haven't written a will!

[sara3]

divorced, 2 kids aged 13 and 16, sole home owner, life insurance policy owner, lol!

if I popped my clogs without having written a will, would my children get everything? can anyone else make a claim on my estate? mother? siblings?

I know I should do it but I have a lot of expenses for the next few months.

[dothawkes31]

The Last Will and Testament packs from smiths are about £15,99 but that includes 12 months free will storage with a solicitor

[sara3]

thanks Dot. I hadn't considered storage fees.. it's a minefield!

[dothawkes31]

I have a will, it's in my bureau, that's free storage i guess lol

[sandyRoe]

Don't buy a DIY kit. The fees a lawyer gets give you peace of mind knowing that your assets will be going where you want them to go.
Hopefully this will be a long time in the future, but better to be prepared

[craft1948]

I made a will as soon as I legally separated from the first husband. I left everything to my daughter (she was 12 at the time) to be held in trust for her until she reached the age of 25. I named 2 executors as being people who were good with money, and also who I would trust absolutely. It also stipulated that my daughter would be able to apply for funds before the age of 25, to be granted at the discretion of the executors.

[sara3]

craft, I was thinking along the same lines. I can't imagine my son running around with £1000s in his pocket at a young age. there would be drumkits in every room, lol!

good tips though, thank you. I'll leave the kids to you x

[craft1948]

cheers sara............:-(

[Barmaid]

Sara - I have to agree with Sandy. Whilst I said get a wills kit from WHS, that was on the basis that you have expenses for the next few months and a will is often better than no will. You could try contacting a charity and see if you could make a will under their "free will scheme" (if they are stupid enough to offer to pay for wills, there is nothing to stop you using the service and you cannot be forced to leave them a legacy).

As for storage - just leave it with all your imporant documents. No reason why you should pay for it!

[sara3]

okay, so...... I see a solicitor, draw up the basics, then I can waltz off with my will to keep safely at home? can I make photocopies to give to my executors (non-beneficiaries), maybe in sealed envelopes?

[sandyRoe]

You lawyer might offer to keep it safe for you. But get a few photocopies.

[sara3]

but then they charge storage fees?

[craft1948]

I keep my original will in my safe at home.........my executors have a copy each which I went through with them to make sure they agreed that the requests therein were reasonable and possible.

[trt]

Can you keep your will with your bank?

[sara3]

trt, I'm just reading some stuff.. you can lodge it with your bank but there are usually charges. you mustn't put it in a safety deposit box as this won't be opened until probate is granted.

arghhhhhhhhhhhhh!

[Buenchico]

I strongly advise against leaving your will with a solicitor. I referred earlier to the will I had drawn up by a solicitor, which I left in his care. His office later closed down and he's no longer listed on the Law Society website (so he might have died). It doesn't matter to me because I've since rewritten my will but there could well be others whose wills have been lost through his disappearance.

Store your will somewhere safe, where people are likely to look for it, and tell your executors where it is. It's entirely up to you as to whether you provide your executors with photocopies (and as to whether you want to put those copies into sealed envelopes). Both of my executors (who are the principal beneficiaries of my will and, incidentally, not related to me) have unsealed copies of my will.

Chris

[Barmaid]

You were actually quite unlucky Chris since most solicitors that close down either have the LS intervene or are taken over by a different practice. I have come across this before,but generally, it is quite rare.

There is no national wills register (sadly) that is worth bothering with. I'd be inclined to keep a copy at home and the original with a solicitor - noting on the envelope that the original is with Messrs Sue Bodgit and Scarper of xxxxx, etc.

[sara3]

the solicitor who did my house conveyancing was later struck off!

okay, will done at the solicitors then I'll see what they (or the bank) charge for storage. copies to executors, and I'll let them know where the original is. and then I'll try to live forever ;o)

phew! thanks, you've all been mega helpful x

[chokkie]

OH and I made our wills many years ago, through a local and reputable firm of solicitors. In the last 6 months, we dug out the Wills and found they were very very out of date, so we asked a friend of ours to help us get them revised (he used to be an actuary, but now runs a company helping people to make their wills). That's all done now, and they are lodged with the firm of solicitors where my sister in law's brother in law works ... obviously we have copies of the wills indicating where the originals are lodged. Sara3, you really must do this - otherwise everything you leave may go to the government.

[Lindylou]

If the deceased has children then it won't go to the Government. But MAKE A WILL!!! not very expensive and it will save a lot of heartache in the future. But be fair, don't leave it all to one child. SO many families have broken up due to the ill-feeling caused by people getting their 'own back' via their wills. Look at the probs recently caused in Cumbria.

[sara3]

LindyLou, I wouldn't dream of doing that! I have 2 kids and it will be split down the middle.

my mum altered her will when she fell out with my sister, so I suspect she's cut me out by now :o/